


souhait accordé cycle 2

by ndnickerson



Series: souhait accordé [4]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Anniversary, Arguing, Attempted Rape, Beach Sex, Camping, Car Sex, Costume Kink, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Cunnilingus, Dare, Denial, Doggy Style, Dom/sub, Drunk Sex, F/M, Fantasy, Forbidden, Hotel Sex, Ice Cream, Jealousy, Kitchen Sex, Married Couple, Married Sex, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Ocean, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Phone Sex, Porn, Porn With Plot, Possessive Behavior, Public Display of Affection, Public Nudity, Public Sex, Roleplay, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Swing, Sex Toys, Sexual Assault, Sexual Fantasy, Shower Sex, Stranger Sex, Temperature Play, Truth or Dare, Wall Sex, Webcam Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2012-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:23:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 55,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They make up the rules as they go along, now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Three-twenty-six in the morning. Three-fucking-twenty-six. Nancy dropped her keys when she was trying to unlock the door. Her head felt fuzzy and slow.

The light was still on in the kitchen. A bag of chips was open on the counter. Absently she folded it over. If she wasn't so tired, oh, oh God. She gazed at the liquor cabinet for a moment too long, then looked away with some effort. She would lift a bottle and take a swig from the neck, if she could bear the idea. Instead she was almost shaking with exhaustion. She'd drop the damn thing before it ever touched her lips.

The television was still on in their bedroom, but Ned was slumped over to the side, the remote tumbled off his lap. SportsCenter was on. Nancy smiled wearily at the sight, dragged herself to their bathroom, and hastily rinsed her face and brushed her teeth. In their bedroom she had to concentrate for a long moment before she could focus on the drapes, and crossed to pull them. As far as she was concerned she would sleep for the next twelve hours, warm and bundled in the dark in their bed. She started shivering when she changed into a t-shirt and stripped her pants off, and dove under the covers, scooping up the remote. As soon as she punched the power button, the room was plunged into thick, quiet dark. She felt the bedside table by touch and slid the remote onto it, then collapsed down onto the pillow, her eyes already closed.

But she didn't go to sleep immediately.

She had to see Eric tomorrow and it was going to be awkward. The whole night had been fucking awkward, but she was not looking forward to seeing him again, not at all.

She had dressed well for the job, had worn the kind of outfit that Ned would have liked to rip off with his teeth before she left the house. Eric was her contact, and even after she had been set up in her little eyrie, he had lingered. Propped his arm across the door while he talked to her, his gaze on her cleavage more often than her eyes. Asked if she wanted to get a drink after. Unbuttoned his shirt and loosed his tie and used any excuse to touch her.

And the thing was, if she hadn't been married, she probably would have fallen for his shit. He was cocky but his perfectly trimmed and sculpted facial hair, his cologne, the way his dress pants clung to his ass—

Well, none of that really mattered. He was pushy and he tried to kiss her, and just the thought of seeing him again made her feel nauseated and uncomfortably flushed. Maybe he was cute. So what.

She heard her husband breathing on the other side of the bed and squeezed her eyes closed a little tighter, snuggling deeper into the blankets. _No one_ , and she knew that for sure, _no one_ was as good in bed as her husband. No one possibly could be. And she would never, _could_ never, love anyone as deeply as she loved him.

For the longest time she had thought that what she had with Ned was easy, that she could find that with any other man. She had been so wrong.

She was so glad that she wasn't back in some cold bed alone, that she wasn't thinking of Eric with speculative interest. Even if she came home at nearly three-thirty in the morning, she had someone waiting for her, someone who loved her.

With that thought, she fell asleep.

She had no idea how much later it was, when she felt Ned stirring beside her. His hand brushed against her back. "When'd you get in?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Three-thirty," she mumbled back. It was hard to even speak coherently, she was so tired. "Go back to sleep, baby."

Ned reached for her, drawing her to the middle of the mattress and cuddling against her back happily. Nancy grumbled at the cool sheet under her, but her husband was warm, and he slid his arm over her. She closed her eyes—the room was so dark that she couldn't see anything, even when her eyes were open—and began to drift off again. The room felt like it was spinning around her.

Then the dread of seeing Eric hit her again and she groaned, squeezing her eyes even tighter shut, trying to make herself forget it long enough to go back to sleep. If she had to go into that meeting dreading _and_ cranky with exhaustion, God, it would be a nightmare.

Ned shifted against her. "Mmm?"

"Nuh," she muttered, turning her face into the pillow. Ned's knees were tucked up behind hers and they didn't usually sleep this way for long, because their combined body heat turned their proximity hot as an oven. That, and being this close usually meant—

Ned's fingertips brushed her stomach. Her shirt had twisted up under her, leaving her belly bare.

She made a protesting sound, squirming, but that, as usual, just made it worse.

"Mmmm," Ned said, his voice gravelly. "It's pitch fucking black in here."

"Mmm," she agreed. "Go to sleep."

He cupped his hand between her thighs. "Really?"

Nancy tried to ignore him, tried to go to sleep, but with every brush of his fingers against her panties, she was more distracted. He slipped his hand back up and began to inch it underneath the fabric, and she sighed.

"Okay, rule," she told him. "I'm not moving and you can't take my clothes off. If you can get around that, go."

Ned groaned. "Are you fucking serious."

"Mmm," she said, nodding. "I am too exhausted to fucking _move_ and it is too cold in here for you to take anything off me."

"Hmm."

What she loved was that he was going to try. The part of her that was still dreading tomorrow and wanted to be responsible and professional was kind of hoping he would give up. Ninety percent of her, though, was looking forward to a satisfaction to the ache he had teased to life inside her.

They had been married for long enough, but they had been together for so long before that, that she could practically hear his thoughts. He had two possible plans of attack. Find loopholes, turn the tables. Maybe both.

With his body still tight against her back, Ned snaked his arm under her, then cupped her breasts through her shirt. She had tossed her bra into the hamper, so only the thin fabric of her t-shirt kept his skin from touching hers. He gently caressed the flesh and she swallowed a moan, her entire chest tingling in response. She could feel his breath against her shoulder, could feel him through their clothes, already erect, against the small of her back.

Then he ran the very tips of his thumbs against her nipples, and immediately her hips squirmed against him as she arched. She had no idea why the fabric between them made the sensation all the stronger, but Ned chuckled as she sighed, one of her legs coming up to fold over his.

"Thought you weren't moving."

"Shut up," she told him, panting a little.

Ned traced one hand down the line of her side, then inched her panties down until they had slipped down enough to leave her ass bare, the join of her thighs nearly so. He managed to do the same to her other side, the side she was propped up on, and she didn't object.

Then he ran his hands back up and grasped her breasts a little harder, squeezing her nipples between forefinger and thumb. She squirmed again and Ned brought one hand away. Then he must have pushed his underwear down, because she felt his bare, hot erection against the small of her back. When he touched her again she squirmed against him, knowing she had to be driving him crazy, hoping she was.

He trailed his hands down but instead of sliding his fingers between her thighs, he slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt. He had to shove her shirt practically up over her breasts to give himself good access, but she didn't care; he cupped her bare warm flesh and she moaned, plucking at her panties.

"Do it," he bid her, in a soft growl. "Do it."

In answer she sighed, cupping a hand over his, feeling his long fingers tense and relax as he massaged her. Ned's hips rubbed against hers, but in a way that neither of them found very satisfying. It felt like when they used to—

Ned growled against her ear again. He bucked hard, and she let out a soft cry. "God, it's like—"

"When we were engaged," she finished the thought, gasping. Her hips were moving in time with his, the slow deliberate meaningless rock. When they were engaged the rule was that they couldn't, that _he_ couldn't go so far as to have sex with her, but oh, he had been so good at teasing her to the point that she had wanted to beg him for it, wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything before in her life. They had come so close so many times, had driven each other almost insane with desire so many times, that their wedding night had felt like the culmination of six continuous months of foreplay. They had rubbed, stroked, caressed, kissed, nuzzled in almost every position they could think of, but they had waited to share that intimacy with each other.

Now, though, she _knew_ what he was denying her, what they were denying each other, and she took his wrist in her hand and pushed back against him, shifting onto her belly, pulling him on top of her. He made a startled noise and pushed himself up onto his knees, and Nancy reached down and impatiently yanked her panties down her thighs. She had just pulled one ankle out, leaving the fabric still dangling on the other, when Ned grasped her hips, guiding himself to her opening. He let out a groan when he found her already slick and hot for him.

This was where he would have stopped, before, when they would have stopped.

Instead he pushed into her in one smooth thrust and she shivered, her nipples brushing the fabric of her t-shirt, her eyes wide and blind in the dark. For the barest second her exhaustion made her wonder if he, if it was really him, but she had seen him when she came to bed, and she knew his body, and oh, the familiar angle of his cock as he entered her from behind. He reached between her thighs and brushed her clit, and she whimpered as the head of his cock bumped against her g-spot on a stroke.

" _Fuck_ ," she sobbed brokenly, cupping her hand over his and pressing him hard against her, angling to keep him moving against that spot. He looped his other arm around her and panted as he thrust into her, hard, harder.

" _God_ ," she said desperately. "Oh my _God_ oh my God I—yes yes yes oh my _God_ , baby—"

"There?" he demanded, reversing their hands so she was stroking her clit. His hand was probably tired and she didn't care, oh fuck, _fuck_ , she tightened her inner flesh hard around him.

"Oh my God oh my God please please baby please oh my God—"

She trembled, her forehead touching the pillow, and then she tossed her hair back out of her face, her hips rocking against his thrusts. She flicked her clit with her thumbnail and sucked in a hard breath, whimpering, pleading.

Then they found the right rhythm, quick and brutal, and she felt like she had to push, to bear down against him. When her hand stilled Ned touched her clit in return and her screams were so high they were inaudible, before they dropped to a low, guttural moan of delighted pleasure. He managed to last through it, as the pressure against her g-spot made her come, _God_ she was so fucking wet for him that his thrusts were audible, that they felt like hot taut silk inside her. She shuddered, her mouth hanging open, her thighs slick as he buried himself to the hilt inside her and came.

"Ngh," Ned said, and he brushed her clit and she trembled, her inner flesh clenching around him one more time. She had no words for how it felt, when they managed to do this and she came with a gush of hot slick arousal, bearing down hard against him. It was amazing. It was agony, when he was repeatedly brushing that sensitive spot inside her, and then it was the single most erotic thing she had ever felt, when that agony became unspeakably intense bliss.

Nancy kept her face buried in the pillow, but managed to bring her knees halfway back together as Ned, grumbling at the cold, found a cloth for them. He cleaned himself up, and after he wiped off her thighs she pushed her knees down and lay there, boneless, still panting, her clit still tender, her inner flesh still tender and sensitive from the stroke of her husband's cock.

Ned sprawled next to her. " _Fuck_ ," he exhaled.

"Mmm," Nancy agreed, moving just enough to turn her face to him—but she couldn't see him in the dark. " _God._ God, I love you."

Ned ran his hand over her back. "Love you too, babe," he told her, and moved close to her. She turned her face into his chest and breathed in the familiar scent of him, of his soap and sweat and shampoo, the scent of them mingled in the sheets.

Then she sighed. "The contact—the asshole contact on my case tonight—that clown was trying to make a move on me," she mumbled into his chest. "Tried to fucking kiss me."

Ned moved back, drawing in a breath. " _What_?"

She looped her arm over her husband. "Come with me tomorrow," she murmured, her voice half-drunk with exhaustion. "Show him that there's no way he can compete with—the competition."

Ned brushed her hair off her cheek. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I can... I can handle myself. Might need to use a knee but I can." She chuckled. "Stupid guy. If he could see you... he'd know. No other guy on earth has a chance. Not... not after you."

Her husband's lips gently touched her cheek. "You know—when you say shit like that, it makes me want to tie you to the bed and fuck you senseless."

She chuckled again, reaching up to blindly cup his cheek.

"I know," she told him, her voice wickedly low.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by killingstreak.

His phone was ringing.

Now where did he last put it after he answered the previous call? Ned sighed as he navigated through the mountain of paperwork on his desk. Perhaps he should have taken Ann's advice to tidy up his office.

“Ned? Your phone's ringing,” Ann's voice floated in through his half-closed door.

“I know. I can't find it.” Ned replied to his secretary, half-groaning.

Finally he spied it at the very edge of his desk, hidden by the latest stack of papers freshly dumped there.

“Gotcha,” Ned muttered under his breath. He pounced onto the phone just as it chirped its last ring and the caller hung up. Ned cursed as he checked his call log. Nancy. Grinning, he fell back into his chair as he hit her speed dial.

“Hi gorgeous,” Ned said as Nancy picked up the phone.

“Ned!” Nancy squealed happily and Ned closed his eyes, picturing her face in his mind. She had been gone for two weeks already, to Asia, to track down another suspect and every single time she called back, he kept hoping it was to inform him of her return. God, he missed her.

“So what's up,” Ned asked, getting up to close his door fully.

“Nothing really.” Nancy replied, a little giggly, and Ned slumped in his seat a little.

“Which means you're not coming back tonight.”

“Sorry,” Nancy answered, her voice soft, and Ned pinched the bridge of his nose. “It's just that something else cropped up... But I'll be back by this weekend. Promise.”

Ned sighed. “Just give me a call when you're coming back so I can tidy up the house a little.”

“So how many slumber parties have you had, Nickerson?” she asked.

Ned burst out in startled laughter and Nancy joined in.

“Gosh, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Nan. And you better come back ASAP.”

“Say, are you free to talk now? It's your lunch break now, isn't it? Or did I screw up the timezones again.”

“It is,” Ned confirmed. “And you should be...”

“Asleep,” she supplied.

“Asleep,” Ned repeated, nodding. “So what are you wearing to bed, Ms Drew? A sweatshirt and lounge pants?” Ned teased.

Nancy laughed. “No. Actually I'm not wearing anything right now.”

“Liar.” Ned shot back. “You don't ever sleep naked. Unless we just had sex.”

“You're right,” Nancy replied, and he could hear the laughter in her voice.

Ned propped his feet up on the table and loosened his tie a little. “So what exactly are you wearing? Trying to play mind games with me, eh?”

“It's... It's a little hard to say over the phone. Why don't I send you a picture message with my other phone?”

“How many numbers do you have?” Ned remarked mildly.

“Sent,” she announced. “Don't expect too much, darling,” she teased him, and he snorted.

“Hold on a sec.”

She had sent him a photo taken against the vanity mirror in the bathroom, her reddish-blonde hair just drying from her recent shower, the ends curling. She was wearing a light pink slip, so sheer it was akin to wearing nothing. It was cut low, with lace straps and hems and when she leaned over to take the photo, she had given him a full view of her cleavage, her dusty pink nipples rising to a point. She was wearing matching panties which came with it, and it did nothing to hide the newly-shaven flesh between her thighs.

Ned swallowed as his gaze drifted down to between her thighs, to the newly exposed area.

“You shaved,” he whispered and he felt his cock stirring under his pants, as she giggled in reply.

“Yeah. Do you like it?” she asked, her pitched low and sultry.

“Fuck yes,” Ned replied, leaning back against his chair, his voice hoarse as he closed his eyes, picturing her lying in bed back at home, legs spread, thighs open, seducing him, all wet and ready for him...

“Ned?”

“Mmhm?”

“I want to see you,” she complained. “I haven't seen you in ages.”

“Checking for lipstick stains already?” Ned asked, teasing her slightly, happy when she laughed.

“Like you'd be stupid enough to leave them on. I've trained you well.”

“That's true. Always useful to have an agent for a wife.”

Nancy chuckled just as Ned's computer beeped.

1 call from Nancy D.

“Are you calling me now, Nan?” Ned asked as he clicked the button to accept the call.

When the connection was made, he saw her sitting at the small desk in her hotel room, smiling tentatively, her phone to her ear.

“Hi,” she said, and he watched her lips move as she waved.

“Hi baby,” he replied, smiling. “Hold on.” He stood up and pulled down the blinds to block the glare from casting onto his screen.

“Let's play a game,” Nancy suggested, her chin propped up by her hand, her eyes wide and innocent.

“Now?”

“Yeah,” Nancy smiled. “You do what I say and I do what you say.”

“Wicked,” Ned murmured, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips as he shifted in his seat. “Okay, I'm ready.”

“Honey, I can't see you.”

“What do you mean? You can see my face.”

Nancy laughed and he scowled in annoyance. “I mean I can't see you. All of you,” she purred and he shivered, knowing fully what she meant.

“Unzip your trousers,” she commanded, and he loved it every time she used her authoritarian voice. He had seen her use it with her fellow agents, police officers, criminals, and that voice commanded respect everywhere she went.

“Now? I'm in the office, Nan. Clearly.”

“You do whatever I say,” Nancy repeated sweetly.

Ned hesitated for the split second and Nancy sighed.

“All right, go tell Ann you're having an important long-distance call and not to disturb you. I'll wait.”

“Well in that case,” Ned chuckled, “take off that top.”

-

When he returned, locking the door safely behind him, the blinds all pulled down, he found her seated on her bed.

“You still have your top on,” Ned complained good-naturedly.

“And you have your pants on too,” Nancy shot back as she shifted her Mac so that the webcam had the bed in full view. “Hold on,” she murmured as she dug through her bag for her headphones. “It'll be easier this way.”

“Prop yourself up,” Ned instructed, his voice gravelly in her ear as she saw his face all close up on her screen. “Yeah, that's right. No, a little to the left.”

“Like this?” Nancy asked, spreading her legs a little.

“Yeah. Now take off that damn top.”

Nancy sat up and took the slip by the hem and slowly drew it above her head, smiling at the raptured expression on his face as her breasts came into full view.

“Looks like somebody likes what he sees,” Nancy said, chuckling.

“Do you even need to ask?” Ned replied.

“Now play with your nipples. I want them hard and pointy,” he instructed, his voice low.

“Yes sir,” Nancy moaned as she tipped her head back and played with her breasts, cupping them with her palm and rolling the nipples with her thumb and forefinger. Her legs started to move restlessly above the covers and Ned caught a glimpse of the proof of her arousal.

“Slut. I can smell your arousal from here,” Ned growled in her ear as she moaned louder in reply. “Find that dildo I gave you and run it down your slit. Do not touch your clit. I can see everything from here.”

Nancy scrambled from the bed and dug through her suitcase for the toy he gave her last Christmas.

“Good girl. Now set it to one and play with yourself.”

She shivered when the vibrator touched her sensitive inner flesh, when the rough chiffon of her panties brushed against her over-sensitized skin.

“Ned,” she groaned, as she circled the head of the vibrator round her clit but never quite touched it in deference to him.

“Take off yourpanties,” he ordered, and she smiled a little as she heard him swallow.

She got up on her knees and inched it down, shimmying her hips slightly, teasing him as she revealed the bare flesh there.

“Leave it at your ankles,” Ned commanded, and his voice was hoarse. “Fuck, you're so damn beautiful.”

“Do you want me, Ned,” Nancy whispered, as she lay back down on the bed, her legs pressed tightly together.

“God, yes. I want to fly over right now, tie you up, and fuck you till you can't walk tomorrow. I want to fuck you till you're sore,” he whispered harshly and she shivered.

“Now spread those legs baby. Spread them nice and wide.”

Nancy smirked as she opened her legs and he could see the swollen proof of her arousal, could see how wet she was, could see her clit peeking out. He never wanted to eat her out this badly.

“I want to taste you,” he groaned and she moaned in reply.

“Are you hard, baby,” Nancy asked, her voice soft as she parted her inner lips and ran the dildo down her slit, shivering as she turned up the vibration.

“Yes,” Ned answered, his voice low with arousal.   


“I want to suck you off,” Nancy moaned as she pressed the head of the dildo in, parting her inner flesh slowly, jerking slightly at the delicious sensation, her head tilted back as she rubbed her clit with her other hand.

“God yes,” Ned choked out and she opened her eyes to see him pumping his cock furiously on her monitor. “Faster.”

She smiled at him lazily as she flipped the next speed setting on her vibrator, as she pushed it fully in her, the heel of her hand keeping it from sliding out as she her hips shook with her impending climax.

“I want you to come,” she murmured as she pulled it out to thrust it in again, groaning as it filled her up.

“Baby,” Ned forced out. She saw that desperate look on his face as he pumped himself faster, as she matched his pace.

“Fuck,” he cursed softly just as she came, growling low, writhing, the vibration now almost painful as her every nerve screamed at her. She hit the off button and pulled it out, panting, her whole body flushed as she opened her eyes to see him gazing at her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“When you come back, baby...” Ned's voice trailed off and even though his image on her screen was composed of just tiny pixels and a tad grainy, she could feel his gaze on her, his lustful eyes fixed on her.

She shivered slightly at the thought of his touch.

“When you get back,” Ned promised, as they both heard a knock at her door. She glanced at her laptop, startled, and back at the dildo she was still holding in her right hand.

“When I get back,” Nancy repeated, smiling at the webcam as she pulled on a bathrobe and dropped the dildo back into the paper bag.

“I'll hold you to your word.”

“With pleasure, baby,” Ned replied, his voice low and rumbling. “With pleasure.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by ndnickerson.

"You are home, aren't you?"

"Yes," Nancy drawled, rolling her eyes. She dumped her suitcase onto the bed and sorted through the dirty clothes, tossing those into the laundry basket. "I am home. And I plan to be home for a while. I think my husband's feeling neglected."

"Well, that was just a perfect segue," Carson commented. "Because I need a favor, _and_ it's a good excuse for you and Ned to go out and have a good time."

Nancy narrowed her eyes, pausing with her canvas makeup case clutched in her hand. "Oh, _really_. And what kind of favor might this be?"

"I bought a couple of tickets to a charity event, and then got a call from one of my old buddies from law school."

"Rath, or Bergeron?" Nancy guessed, one eyebrow cocked.

"Coolidge." Carson laughed at Nancy's disappointed sound. "Anyway, I can't go—"

" _Two_ tickets?" Nancy repeated. "What girl are you leaving pining away while you flit off to play golf and charm philanthropists?"

"I was hoping you'd cover that last part," Carson returned. "As to the real question, Ri said she was interested. Adriana."

Ahh. Adriana Polidori. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Carson said, his voice full of false innocence. "Well, there is _one_..."

By the time Ned came home from work, Nancy had washed two loads of clothes and had the dryer going, had all the empty chip bags and pizza boxes that had accumulated during her absence cleared out of the kitchen, and had three steaks defrosting, baked potatoes in the oven, and a bottle of wine uncorked. She heard the garage door closing as Ned keyed in through the kitchen door, sniffing appreciatively.

Nancy turned around, giving Ned a sunny smile. "Hey baby. How was work?"

"Wish I could've skipped it and stayed here with you," Ned said, sliding his arms around her. "Must be laundry day."

Nancy looked down at her outfit. Under her apron, she wore one of Ned's faded, worn button-downs, her long legs bare underneath. He'd always liked seeing her in his clothes. In his estimation, the sight was only trumped by seeing her naked. Or in something translucent. Or, well, to be honest he loved her in anything that he could easily take _off_ her.

The microwave beeped soon after Ned captured her mouth in a rough kiss, and Nancy broke it off with a disappointed sigh. Her flight had gotten in so late the night before that she and Ned had tumbled into bed together once they got home, without even really bothering to take off their clothes, and had quick sex. They had been apart for so long that she had been wet the second she had seen him, and Ned had work in the morning, and she had barely had her jeans off before he'd been inside her. He had hit the snooze button one too many times for them to have sex this morning, and she was looking forward to some quality time with him. Damn, had she missed him.

"Steak and potatoes? Hmm. Guess I'll keep you," Ned teased her, loosening his tie and yanking down the knot.

He headed for their room to change, and Nancy looked down again, then slipped her hands under the apron. She unbuttoned the shirt entirely, the loose tails brushing against her upper thighs, and poured both of them glasses of wine before she threw the steaks on the grill. When her husband returned, wearing a threadbare band t-shirt and jeans, she lifted the apron off. Her lacy hot-pink bra and thong were visible through the gap in the unbuttoned shirt.

Ned looked from his wife to the wine she had poured for him, to the steaks sizzling on the grill, and raised an eyebrow. His voice deceptively calm, he said, "Okay, what do you want."

Nancy ran her fingertips down the front of the shirt, over the tails. "Hmm. For you to set the table?"

He snorted, even though he headed for the cabinet and took out plates and silverware. "No, I mean what's the big thing that you want."

"Who said I wanted anything," she teased him.

Ned set the table in his usual desultory way, then came up behind her. He nuzzled aside the collar of the shirt and kissed her shoulder. "All _this_ ," he murmured into her skin, "says you want something. And..." He wrapped his arm around her, trailing his hand down to her thong. The skin underneath was still baby-smooth, and he bit her gently in approval, as she slowly ground against him. Damn if she wasn't slick already. "I know I'm as easy to distract as a three-year-old, but I'm not stupid."

She captured his hand, keeping it cupped against her. Fuck, she wanted to be naked. "Guess you'll just have to... find a way to torture it out of me," she murmured, and sighed in impatience as he pulled his hand from under hers.

"Oh, I'm gonna torture you, all right," he promised, squeezing her ass. He trailed his fingertips up her thong, to the small of her back, and she tingled at the thought of him pulling the string aside and bending her over the kitchen counter. "Get down on your knees and give me head like you _swore_ you wanted, or tell me. Right now."

Nancy turned around to the sound of her husband pulling down his zipper, just as the kitchen timer went off. They both cast a despairing glance at the steaks. "Fuck," Ned sighed.

She buttoned her shirt back up before they sat down at the table together, and they limited themselves to two glasses of wine each. For Ned, that was almost nothing; Nancy felt warm and giggly by the time they cleared the table together.

She swung the dishwasher door shut and Ned grasped her around the waist, and she laughed far harder than she should have. Being around him had always made her hypersensitive, almost starving for his touch. He picked her up and his lips found the nape of her neck and she squealed and squirmed against him.

"Spill, Drew."

She turned around in his arms. Before she could reconsider, she blurted out, "You won't like it."

Ned had been speculatively eyeing the hot-pink lace he could see between the tails of the shirt she was wearing. His gaze snapped immediately back to her face. "God. Babe, _please_ tell me you're not going on another case so soon. _Please_." His brows drew together in trepidation and pleading. He would never forbid her—she _knew_ that—but that didn't stop him from worrying about her.

The relief that washed over him when she shook her head was palpable. He picked her up again and she buried her face against his neck, the combination of the wine and his proximity made her heart beat faster as he embraced her. "I hate when you're away," he said gruffly against her ear. "Now go ahead and spill so I can take you upstairs and rip that fucking thong off you."

He put her down and she took his hand, leading him to the couch. Impatiently she muted the television, even though she knew that as long as Ned could see the sports news crawl across the bottom of the screen, it would probably have half his attention. "Now, it's a favor for my dad, and it's this weekend, and it's for _charity_ , keep that in mind—"

Ned sighed. "Let's get to the part I'm not going to like."

Nancy bit her lip. "It's a masquerade."

Ned shook his head. " _No._ "

"Baby—"

Ned shook his head again, more firmly. " _No._ End of discussion. Now, let's just get upstairs... after the recap—"

Nancy folded her arms. " _End of discussion_?" she said, her tone like ice.

Ned fixed her with a similarly frosty glare. "Yes."

It wasn't that she didn't understand. She did understand.

For the longest time, Ned had liked costume parties, hadn't had a problem with them, and he _still_ didn't mind seeing her dress up in costumes. But, and she didn't have a really clear idea of what _exactly_ had happened, there had been a frat party his senior year that she hadn't attended and there were costumes and pictures and a _lot_ of PJ and... well, it apparently didn't matter how drunk Ned was, or how drunk he wasn't, he was not going to wear a costume again, for any reason, ever.

She had a feeling that Ned donated some amount of money to Maury Beckman every month just to make sure the photo was nowhere on the internet. She certainly hadn't stumbled across it. Ned's extensive porn-based web browser history, yes. A pic of him in a ball gag or whatever the hell had happened, no.

She had her share of nights she couldn't quite remember. She had just been lucky enough to be around Ned, or Bess and George, at the time.

When Ned's glare didn't waver, Nancy sighed. "Babe, we'll be together and we don't have to drink a _drop_ if you don't want to, and it's for _charity_ —"

"He's already bought the tickets, right?"

Nancy nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes.

"Then the charity has its money. They can give our rubber chicken away." He reached for the remote.

She wasn't sure why she was getting so worked up over it. Maybe because she wanted it, maybe because her dad had asked her for the favor, maybe because it had been _years_ ago and she wished he trusted her to at least give her the full story about what happened—or, at least, what he remembered. Maybe because he was all over her when she put on some stupid costume that made her feel like a cheap slut or a trashy whore, but he wouldn't even wear a speedo. Maybe just the words _end of discussion_ had done it. She didn't mind him ordering her around—in bed. In life, though? Fuck that.

She stood up. "Fine. You and your hand have fun tonight."

Ned looked up at her, his mouth open. "What?"

She crossed her arms again. "What? It's a damn _costume party_ , for God's sake. A favor. An _hour_. And you know what, I put on those stupid cheap little things for you all the _time_ —"

"Yeah, and that's not in public." He threw the remote back onto the coffee table and it clattered there, almost sliding off the edge. "Why are you being such a bitch about this?"

"Why are _you_?"

Slowly, dangerously, Ned stood up. "I don't say no to you that often," he said, his voice that same eerie calm. "Maybe I should."

She bristled. "And I don't say no to _you_ that often," she said. "But tonight, _no_. The rest of this week, _no._ Not unless you say you'll go."

A terrible smile touched his mouth. "Really? You're cutting me off? Well, let me just call your bluff right now. You won't last twelve hours before you're begging for it. And when you give in, when you climb on top of me and start riding me like you're dying for it—"

Nancy snorted. "Fat chance. You've got a hard-on every hour on the hour."

Ned stepped close to her, until they were _almost_ touching. "If you break first, you give up and you don't _ever_ mention us going to one of those fucking things again."

"And when _you_ break first," she told him, glaring fiercely up at him, "then we are going and you are going to dance and be sociable and then when we get home, while you're still in whatever costume I've put you in, you are going to go down on me until I scream."

"Ditto for you if you break first. You wear whatever I pick out for you and go down on me. Except the screaming part."

Nancy had to fight very hard to keep a grin off her face. She stuck out her hand, and Ned shook it immediately.

Their rules said absolutely nothing about playing fair, and they both slept naked that first night. The second day she spent wet _all day_ , fantasizing about driving him crazy until he broke, and as soon as she walked into their house she stripped naked.

Then a few fourth graders came to the door selling tickets to a fundraiser and she had to put a robe on.

By the time Ned came home, she couldn't think about anything else. God, she was almost shaking with _need_. Ned saw she was naked as soon as he walked in and while he smirked a little, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He didn't strip down, but it was almost worse to see him in his comfortable jeans and shirt. She wanted him, and it was as hot, as consuming as fever, distracting as a bullet through her. She wanted him to break down so bad she could taste it.

He stripped down before he slid into bed with her, that night. He was clearly already aroused, and when he caught her gazing at him, he smirked again. Fuck him, she thought. "Anytime," he told her. "You have _got_ to be dripping wet by now."

"Yeah, you just keep thinking about that," she told him, and went over to her dresser drawer. She pulled out her newest toy, the vibrator, and walked back to bed slowly, deliberately. Ned's gaze was locked on the toy. She had seen how much he had enjoyed it when she had used it during their webcam sex, and God, had she loved the look on his face when he had been telling her what to do with it. He had wanted her so much. She wondered exactly how long he would be able to hold out while he was in the same room with it, after two nights of aching for her.

She didn't start with it immediately. She cupped her breasts, rubbed the sensitive rosy tips, pinched her nipples until her hips were writhing. Ned was propped up on one elbow, watching as she took the vibrator and rubbed it slowly up and down the slit of her sex, until the silicone head was barely pressed between her inner lips. "Oh, Ned," she moaned, and she knew his cock jumped a little when he heard her say his name that way. She spread her legs wider, running the head faster against the sensitive flesh, and hissed as she rubbed it over her clit. "I am so wet for you, baby," she moaned, and bent her knees, drawing them back to angle her hips up as she positioned the toy at her opening. She pumped it inside her a few times, panting, tilting her head back, then slipped it out, twisted on the vibration, and touched it to her clit.

"Oh," she cried out immediately, and yeah, oh yes, her husband was touching himself, watching her. "God, I want you _so much_ , so much, baby, _God_ , I want you inside me, it feels so good when you're inside me," she told him, twisting the vibration up to a higher intensity. She squealed as it buzzed against her clit, then pushed up onto her knees, at Ned's side. She angled the vibrator between her legs and did a slow, languorous split onto it, jerking and shivering as it hummed against her slick inner flesh. Ned was groaning and she parted her lips, his gaze locked on her hand as she let him see her clit, let him watch her rub the slick button as she fucked her vibrator.

"Fuck," Ned breathed. "God, you are so hot, get that ass over here. I will tear you _up_."

"Do it," she moaned, her eyes heavy-lidded as she bore down against the vibrator. "Do it. Ned, I want you to fuck me so bad. Please. _Please,_ baby."

"Come here," he begged her. " _Shit._ "

"You want me like this?" she forced out, trembling with the swell of her orgasm as she leaned down onto all fours. Ned let out a loud groan as she shoved the vibrator to the hilt inside her. " _Take me, Ned_ , God, please, please fuck me."

They came at the same time, loudly, separately, and she sank to the bed, the vibrator still buried inside her. With a muffled groan she managed to twist it off, but she was still clenching around it. "Ungh," she sighed.

Ned was quiet for a moment. "You want to say no more sleeping naked?"

Nancy turned so she could see her husband's face, considering. Then she slowly pulled the vibrator out, and the sensation was painfully intense against her sensitized flesh.

"Not on your life."

Twelve minutes before his alarm was set to go off the next morning, they woke up having sex. She was incredibly wet and once they were both fully awake they were past the point of no return.

She glanced up at his face. "Guess we both forfeit," she panted.

"Guess so," Ned replied, squeezing her ass.

"Thank God," she groaned, rolling on top of him. She slid down so he was fully seated inside her and rode him hard, shivering when he grasped and squeezed her breasts. She circled her hips and he pinched her nipples and she let out a low cry.

"Touch me," she begged him, and when he just barely brushed his finger over her clit she came, hard, their hips slamming together. He followed, still fondling her clit, letting out a low groan as he released inside her.

She collapsed to him and realized that the sex had been just as quick as when they had come home from the airport after her flight.

"Hey," she murmured, pushing herself up to look into his face. "Next time, we have _got_ to take more than, what was that, ninety seconds?"

Ned chuckled, his hand sliding down her back. "That's what happens when we tease each other for two days."

\--

Ned had three qualifications for his costume: it had to cover him completely ("No Tarzan bullshit," he had explained), not be skintight, and go with whatever she was going to wear. It was a charity event, though, so Nancy was going for something tasteful.

The only problem was that, by the time he grudgingly said he would go with her, most of the high-end costume shops in Chicago had been ransacked, and she was wary of finding anything over the internet, especially anything that would fit _and_ arrive in time.

She remembered Fiona Connor did period-piece costuming. Nancy had helped her out a few years before in finding a will, and when Nancy contacted her, she found she was just barely in luck. Nancy took Ned's measurements with her tape measure ("If you wanted to give me a hand job, all you had to do was ask," he had teased her when she had measured his inseam) and relayed them to Fiona, and barely twelve hours before the event, she had the costumes in her hands.

And they were perfect, down to the last button and stitch.

She texted Ned to let him know, and as soon as she was off work, she rushed home. She took the fastest shower possible, listening the entire time for his arrival, but even once she was fully made up, he still wasn't there.

She picked up her phone and called his cell, scrutinizing her reflection in the mirror. She'd had to use a safety pin to make sure it was all gathered and tucked right, but she had to admit, she did look really, _really_ good. And if her husband didn't get his ass home soon, she was going to have to call a cab because there was no _fucking_ way she would be able to drive in this skirt.

Her call went to voicemail. She sighed. "Look, babe, call me when you get this," she said, tapping the end-call button before pulling up the numbers for local cab companies.

She was just sliding into the cab, making a blandly polite face at the cabbie's impressed chuckle, when she thought, _Oh hell he_ better _not have blown me off._

She glanced down at her still-silent cell phone, then tossed it into her bag.

\--

Ned glanced down at his cell phone, as quickly as he could. Missed call _and_ voicemail from Nancy. He let out an almost inaudible sigh.

It was because he was management, fucking management. The threat of litigation had them all in the third-floor conference room after working hours, but it was going on four hours of this and it was hard for any of them to concentrate. Ned's boss had his glasses off and was rubbing his eyes and Ned knew the next suggestion would be for them to order pizzas, to stifle the rumbling in everyone's stomachs, before they proceeded.

Her name was Alissa and Ned had noticed her when she'd started—but then, they all had. Alissa wore her shirts a little too tight and her skirts a little too short and her makeup a little too obvious, and she had smiles for everyone, but she kept to herself and had pictures of babies dressed as plants in her cubicle. Other secretaries and assistants sometimes stayed after work and arranged to cozy up to managers and execs; Ned had never seen Alissa doing that. When Ned had asked Ann her opinion of Alissa, Ann had already known exactly why he was asking, and she had shrugged. _She seems nice_.

She did seem nice. And that made it all the worse.

Zach reminded Ned of the Delta Tau pledges he'd run into during rush week at Emerson—well-meaning enough, but the kind of guy whose dorm room would have been papered in swimsuit-clad models and beer posters. He couldn't go a day without making some entirely inappropriate comment, and usually the people around him just smiled their uncomfortable smiles and changed the subject, but Zach either didn't realize it or didn't care. Anyone who suggested that maybe he should stop was mocked for being too PC, too uptight, too straitlaced. And Ned knew from experience that most of the shit Zach said in the office was the kind of shit that was said at the bar immediately after work anyway. He just didn't have the intelligence or the respect to save it for that setting.

It had started, Alissa had said, the week before Valentine's Day, when the office had been lousy with invitations to lunch and dinner and the bar, making plans to spend the day with someone else instead of alone. She and Zach _had_ gone on a date. It had been nice.

It was what happened back at the office, in the days and weeks after, that had upset Alissa. His commenting that her outfit would look good on the floor of his bedroom. His compliments on her cleavage, or how nice her ass looked in a particular skirt. It was the sort of juvenile shit that an asshole could get away with at a frat party, if barely, but not at work. Not even if he, as he was claiming, had just been teasing.

Then there had been one of those late-afternoon sessions, like this one, with everyone tired and ready to get home, ready to get away. Zach had cornered her, coerced her into the storage room.

A lot of what she said after that was hard to listen to, partially because she was crying and partially because all the things she reported he had said and done sounded exactly like what he _would_ say and do. That he knew she wanted it, that he'd had a hard-on for her all day, that it would be good for her, he swore. That he just couldn't control himself when it came to her.

Zach's utter incomprehension would have been comical, in any other situation. Here, though, it made Ned feel sick. Zach honestly didn't seem to understand why Alissa was upset, why any of them were asking him any of these questions, and too many times, when they had Zach recount his version of the events on that day, Ned heard echoes of what he said to his own wife, at home.

But Nancy was his _wife_ , and most of those things were just talk, just meant to get her wet for him. Ned had no doubt that was Zach's own reasoning, as well.

"I mean, _seriously_? With the stuff she wears? The way she _smiles_ at everyone? How the hell could she say she didn't _want it_?"

Ned tried to imagine it. There had been a case, early in their marriage. Nancy had been working with a film producer on the set of one of his movies. One of the PAs had misunderstood her questioning as flirtation, and had tried to physically intimidate her, tried to force himself on her. Those had been his words, too. How could she say she didn't want it.

Nancy had made sure he was bleeding before she walked away, that his broken nose would make him think twice the next time he tried those particular moves on some other girl.

But Alissa wasn't Nancy, and Ned called to mind the outfit his wife had been wearing when he had left the house that morning. A tight shirt made out of some silky material, a tight pencil skirt, stilettos. The kind of outfit that she _knew_ made him hot for her. The thought of some other man seeing her in it, assuming that meant she was ripe for _anyone's_ taking—that made Ned insanely angry.

No matter what, when Nancy said no, he backed off, even if he was ready to explode. Not that she said no that often.

Alissa said she had said no at least six times.

"She's just _overreacting_ ," Zach said confidently. "You know how it is. She wants to be a bitch, wants to be an ice queen, wants to start some drama, and she _knows_ this is the best way to do it."

Ned looked around at the other men in the room, their expressions, the set of their shoulders. Zach could talk this way because he was among the guys, among people he knew would sympathize. "Look," Ned spoke up, "off the record, Zach... she just wanted to be seduced, right? To make you work for it?"

Zach nodded eagerly. "Yeah, _yeah_. You know how some girls feel bad if they say yes right away. She just had to say no first. At the end..."

At the end she hadn't said yes; Ned knew that. She had just clammed up and gone somewhere deep in herself while he had thought his seduction successful.

"At the end...?" Ned prompted.

Zach sat back, shrugging easily, his knees spread wide. "She came around." His grin was knowing.

Ned swallowed hard, forcing what he really wanted to say back down, before he glanced at his boss, then back to Zach. "If she says no you fucking _stop_ , jackass, because no isn't _maybe later_ or _I'm just not sure_." He shook his head. "If I ever have a daughter, guys like you are the reason I won't be able to sleep at night. Whatever Alissa wants, she deserves ten times that, is what I think."

Their deliberations after that were quick, and on the way home Ned tried Nancy's cell three times. It rang and went to voicemail. He realized how late he was already and wondered if she was angry at him. He hadn't wanted to go to the stupid thing anyway, and now he was in a hell of a mood. He just wanted to get roaring drunk and veg out in front of the television in his boxers.

Fucking fundraiser. Fucking _masquerade_ fundraiser.

If he didn't go, Ned had a feeling that their little game of chicken was going to turn into him sleeping on the couch and becoming reacquainted with the adult channels instead of his wife.

Scowling, Ned opened the costume box and dumped it out on the bed.

Forty-five minutes later, Ned was striding into the lobby of the newly remodeled Museum Evangelista. He fidgeted with his half-mask, which left his nose and lower face exposed, and the intern at the reception desk lit up when she saw him.

"Your costume is amazing!" she gushed, checking him off on her list. "Here, take a number! Pay twenty dollars and you can guess who is wearing which costume when you get inside!"

The rubber-chicken portion of the meal was over, but the bar was open. Ned took a handful of peanuts and longed for that nascent promise of pizza as the bartender poured his scotch. It was for charity, after all. He downed the drink in a few gulps, and turned to the cleared dance floor. At the edges of the floor, the French doors stood open, and the garden's tiny white lights beckoned.

Well, then. Ned had no idea what his wife was wearing, only that her costume would presumably match his.

And that she was sure to be the most gorgeous person at the place.

\--

It was supposed to be _fun_ , for God's sake. That had been the whole point. Getting dressed up and having fun with him. But Ned hadn't arrived, and Nancy would call him but she had checked her purse with her coat—neither had exactly gone with her outfit—and, _fuck_.

It was all shit. All of it. The food was mediocre, as it almost always was, and while she had been at dinner she had noticed a familiar face.

Johnathan Keegan, who worked with Eric.

Nancy had no shortage of offers to dance, once dinner was over and she was on the outskirts of the dance floor. She had danced a waltz with a distinguished older man whose hair was almost entirely silver, and a faster one with a mocha-skinned man in what could possibly have been a buccaneer's costume. It was while she was taking a rest break, her head a little warm and achy from the wine at dinner, that she felt a tap at her elbow.

Part of the reason she had liked the costume was that it was cut to expose a generous amount of cleavage, and boned to push her breasts up. The blue gown was the color of a stormy sky, and embroidered in silver. Her half-mask was silver to match. The wide, full skirt swished whenever she moved, and she felt different, almost regal, while she wore it. She was really looking forward to seeing Ned's expression, once he saw her in it.

When she turned and saw Eric standing there, though, she felt almost naked. Especially when his gaze dropped to her breasts. His ridiculous half-mask in no way hid his repellant smirk.

"What are you doing here?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"LLS contributed," he said. "Least we could do. Come on, let's get out there." He nodded at the dance floor and offered his hand, his gaze dropping to her cleavage again.

Nancy stubbornly shook her head. "I needed to take a break," she said. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, come on." He reached out and ran his hand down her side, and Nancy flinched back. "We can talk about—well, my boss has a few ideas—"

He was stalling, and Nancy knew he had every intention of touching her again, of getting into her personal space. "Look, I'm sorry," she said, taking a step back. "We can talk about those when your boss calls me. I'm not on the clock tonight."

"Just here to have fun, eh?" Eric said, and looped his arm around her waist. "Me too, babe."

"I _said_ —" God, how Nancy wished she had opted for a costume with pants, or at least a manageable skirt. She was ready to slam her knee up between his legs, to leave him fondling nothing but an ice pack the rest of the night.

"She said no."

Eric was scowling when he glanced up at the person who had come up behind her, and she saw a hand pick up Eric's and toss it away. She turned to look back—

"You came," she whispered.

She would have known him even if she hadn't seen his costume earlier. His height, his hair, his eyes under the mask, the angle of his jaw, the shape of his mouth. The scent of his cologne and soap and aftershave. And the long muscular lines of his body, too.

His outfit was only a whisper away from skintight. He wore a white shirt, a jacket the same shade as her dress, black pants and boots. He looked incredibly handsome.

He also looked like he was ready to put a fist through Eric's face.

She put a hand on Ned's arm. "Come on," she said softly.

"Eric?" Ned said, the faintest question in his voice.

Eric dipped his chin in a nod. "But the lady and I here were having a conversation—"

"Lady," Ned agreed. "That's the first word you've said that's made any sense. How about you just—"

"Ned," Nancy murmured again, sliding her hand down to his.

Ned set his mouth, but when she led him away, he followed her willingly enough. "Asshole," Ned muttered under his breath, and she could smell scotch. They moved into position easily on the floor, their bodies close, their steps matched.

"You came," she repeated, gazing up at him.

Ned shook his head. "You have no idea how much I almost didn't," he told her. His arm was warm at her waist. "I have had an incredibly shitty day. But you, babe... you look amazing."

"Likewise," she told him. "What was wrong with your day?"

He filled her in on the case that had kept him from leaving work on time. "So I walk out of that clusterfuck and here you are with some other douchebag who thinks _no_ is just a code word for _yes, later._ "

Nancy ran her hand down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"No, I am. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Sorry I couldn't take that dress off you as soon as you put it on."

Nancy glanced down, then back up at her husband. "You like it?"

"Hell yes. You look so damn sexy." A shadow passed over his face. "God, I've been listening to some asshole saying that kind of shit all day long like it's his right."

Nancy stood up on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I _like_ it when you talk to me that way," she told him. "Not that jackass back there, not anyone else. Just you. I like it when you tell me what you want to do to me, what you want me to do to you. And I'm pretty sure that when we got married, that made it okay for you to both do _and_ say all those things to me."

Ned half-smiled. "Good," he told her. "And if I ever... get out of line, or whatever—"

"I'll be the first one to tell you."

They made the rounds, for as long as they could. Nancy greeted judges, lawyers, and other couples she recognized from her father's social circle. After another drink, Ned seemed more comfortable, and their next dance left her dissolved in giggles. Several of the other attendees had taken the ballots and were milling through the crowd, making guesses as to who wore what costume.

The unfamiliar heft and weight of her dress and all the people in the room had turned the atmosphere hot when Ned returned to her with another pair of champagne flutes. She accepted hers gratefully, then led Ned to one of the open French doors.

The cool bubbly wine was still fizzing against her throat as they walked out onto the patio. The garden was surrounded by a high hedge fashioned into a partial maze, with plenty of shadowy alcoves. The central fountain was splashing quietly, lit by recessed footlights. A few other couples were taking a break from the crowd as well, lingering near the fountain.

Ned put his empty flute down on a pillar near the French doors and took his wife's hand, leading her to a shadowy recess away from the other people. As soon as they were hidden from view he turned to her and picked her up, their mouths immediately finding each other. She slid her arms around his neck.

"God," Ned mumbled when he pulled back, lowering her back to the stones. "This dress must weigh like twenty pounds."

"More, I'd bet," Nancy murmured, standing up on her toes to pull him back down to her. He tasted like scotch and champagne, but more than that, she loved him like this, loved being pinned and mastered by him. His broad-shouldered frame kept her effectively closed into the small space, hidden from a casual glance.

The small buttons on her dress had been a total bitch to fasten, and Ned seemed to be just as impatient as she had been. He loosed them halfway down her back as he kissed her, and then he took the neckline of her dress and pulled it down the half-inch it took for her breasts to pop free.

Nancy took a slow, trembling breath. "Hey, open your pants."

Ned looked down at her pale breasts, quivering in the moonlight, and reached down. He had to do something complicated with snaps and laces and then he was gazing into her eyes. "Guess there's worse things I could be caught doing than screwing my wife at a masquerade."

"Far worse," she informed him. "Like _not_ screwing your wife at a masquerade."

He chuckled as he leaned down, taking her nipple in his mouth, and she squirmed in delight as he suckled. His hair was soft under her fingers as she ran them through it. He only had to suckle for a moment before she was sighing, her hips rocking in anticipation.

"Thanks," she murmured, as he switched to her other breast, leaving her nipple cooling wet.

"This is nothing yet," he told her.

"No, I mean... for coming tonight." She made a face at his wicked grin, his deliberate misunderstanding. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," he murmured, boosting her in his arms so he didn't have to crane down. If anyone came around the corner with a flashlight, well, there would be no explaining their way out of this.

Ned's teeth gently closed around her nipple and she whimpered, running her nails softly over his scalp. "Mmm," she urged him, and if she hadn't been wearing miles of skirts, she would have wrapped her legs around his waist.

He released her, then caressed her breasts as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You wet for me, baby?"

"Mmm," she nodded, rocking her hips against his, hearing him moan in answer. "So much, Ned, _please_."

Between them they picked up her skirts, and fuck were they heavy. "I want to just throw you on the ground," he groaned in frustration. "If we weren't renting these damn things."

"I want you to take it off me," she breathed. "Slow. And I want you to still be wearing that. Like you just rode in on some white horse and whisked me away and you want me so much you can't bother even taking your clothes off before you have to fuck me."

Ned groaned again, his brown eyes dark with desire. "I'm about to explode."

She reached down and grasped his cock, pumping him in her fist. "Well, let's just take care of that before we get home..."

They were very careful to put everything back in order before they walked back into the party, saying their goodbyes as they slowly made their way through the crowd. Despite her impatience, Ned took her out on the floor for one last dance. Of course he wasn't in a hurry anymore; _he_ wasn't ready to rip his clothes off in frustration like she was. She wrapped her arms around him and held him so close, all of her tingling in anticipation of what he was going to do to her.

"Mmm," Ned murmured in her ear. "Thought you said this was a fundraiser, not a frat party."

She pressed her lips just under his ear. "If you had given me a hand back there, I wouldn't be trying to molest you."

"Let's try that more often."

Eric, clearly more drunk than he had been, came over when their bodies were sealed tight together, Nancy's head on Ned's shoulder. She didn't know if he still hadn't figured out who Ned was, still hadn't realized they were both wearing wedding rings, or if he simply didn't care. He tapped Ned, and Ned, without releasing Nancy, turned to see who it was.

Eric was just opening his mouth when Ned said, very clearly, his voice a low growl, "No."

_She's mine._

He didn't have to say it. Everything about him said it for him.

Eric's brows drew together and Nancy glanced between them. Eric was undeniably handsome, and she couldn't imagine that he had often been refused. Ned, on the other hand, was far more than handsome, and Nancy couldn't deny that the alcohol, the memory of his touch out in the garden, the possessiveness in his expression all made her want to rip his fucking clothes off right there on the floor.

Her man. _Hers._

"Since you can't understand English," Ned said, cutting off whatever bratty comment Eric was about to make, "do you want to go outside and settle it there?"

Fuck. Nancy _really_ needed fantasies that didn't involve Ned getting into potentially law-breaking situations, but watching him punch Eric in the face a few times was still _way_ too appealing.

Before Eric could respond, Nancy pulled back and touched Ned's cheek, drawing his attention to her. "Let's just go home," she murmured. "He's not worth it."

Ned cast a slow disparaging glance over Eric. "That's for damn sure," he agreed.

When they were in the car, Nancy took a deep breath as they wrenched their masks off. "If I weren't wearing this fucking dress—and please remind me to _never_ wear something this huge again—I'd be fucking you in the backseat right now. _God._ " She fanned herself with the flimsy plastic of the mask.

"And you said you didn't like those other outfits," he teased her mildly as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I take it all back." She took her heels off and sighed in relief. "So that thing today really shook you up, huh."

Ned's jaw tightened. "I mean, the girl—the woman. The assistant. She's not like you. You, you get that jackass alone, he tries some shit, at least you can defend yourself."

"Mostly," Nancy said, and shrugged. "Unarmed combat, yeah."

Ned glanced over at her and swore. "I am _never_ gonna be able to sleep now, when you're on a case."

She shook her head. "Anyway. The assistant."

Ned nodded. "He had been this way for a while, with her, and it just got out of hand. And then during our break this afternoon I heard two of the other secretaries talking. Saying that it was an all-guy board, that there was no way he'd get anything more than a slap on the wrist because we _all_ do it. And _God_ , it pissed me off. If Ann's wearing a nice dress, will I say something? If I notice, yeah. Am I gonna try to bend her over the copy machine after?"

"You better fucking not," Nancy said severely.

"If he's been this way with her, has he been this way with other gir—women in the office? Are they just afraid that we'll look the other way if they come forward?"

"There probably have been others," she said, matter-of-factly. "Guys don't get like that overnight. And I say throw the book at him. Cooperate with any police investigation if she wants to charge him. Show everyone else in the office that you don't tolerate that kind of thing."

Ned shook his head. "And what about this jackass sniffing around you?"

Ugh. Nancy had done so well when she had been working with LLS before that she would probably get another call, and the money was good. "I'll just deal with it."

"Instead of saying anything to his boss?"

Because the next one wouldn't be her. "Point taken," she said quietly. "I'll think about it. Or I'll just let you off the leash if he tries any more shit."

Ned's nostrils flared, and Nancy realized. "Not like that, just... I guess I'll just stop trying to persuade you not to. Because, to be honest, the thought of you beating some sense into that ass? That kinda gets me hot."

Ned chuckled. "You shouldn't have said that," he told her. "Besides, I thought it'd be a bitch to get blood out of this getup."

"You thought right," she told him.

They stopped at a fast-food drive-thru and Ned ordered a few hamburgers. He finished one on the way home, and brought in the other, wiping his fingers. She was going to have to get the damn costumes cleaned; there was no way around that. The smell of deodorant and sweat and arousal clung to hers.

She walked into their house barefoot, carrying her heels, and enjoyed the strange sight of her husband, dressed in Regency costume, sitting at the kitchen table wolfing down a quarter-pound bacon cheeseburger. Normally she would be upstairs, changing into some scandalous bit of lingerie for him, or at least sliding out of the stiff, boned corset and heavy skirt.

"Sure you're not hungry?"

She shook her head again, as she had the first time he'd offered. "It's late," she pointed out, "and there were enough empty calories in the champagne."

He chuckled and patted his stomach. "Yum."

In their bathroom she tucked a towel into the bodice of her dress to keep from waterstaining it and carefully wiped off her makeup, leaving her skin bare. She walked into their bedroom and saw that Ned had unbuttoned his costume's coat, but he had remembered her earlier instructions. She glanced up at him and he came to her, slowly unpinning her hair before he began working on the buttons again.

"I like you like this."

Ned chuckled against her neck. "Pissed off and tired?"

"Sure," she murmured. "Possessive and impatient."

"At that, I'm an expert." He freed her breasts again, but didn't touch them; the starched front of his shirt brushed against her peaked nipples and she groaned. He was bent in close to her to reach behind her for the buttons, and she arched against him, her lips brushing his chin, his jaw, his adam's apple.

Ned made a soft noise and she felt it ripple under her touch. "It'll take me four hours to get all this off you if you keep doing that."

"Can't have that," she sighed in disappointment. She let her hands roam over his back, feeling the fabric tight against the muscles of his shoulders and shoulder blades. Finally he found the last button and she let out a long, pleased sigh as she pulled her sleeves down. Even though he had freed her breasts, the boning had still been tight against her ribs, and it was a relief to breathe again.

Ned helped her step out of the beautiful gown, and she tossed it over the armchair. The shift she had worn underneath it was shoved down, and Ned kissed her, his mouth slanting hard against hers as he picked her up. The fabric of his shirt was rough against her nipples and she boosted herself to wrap her legs around him, their hips aligned. He carried her over to the bed as she ground against the erection she could already feel through his pants.

"God, I want you naked," Ned groaned, and he dropped her onto the edge of the mattress, then bent down to grasp the edge of her shift. She pushed herself to her feet and helped him pull it off her, and then he was smirking down at her plain white panties.

"What?" she said defensively. "I was in a hurry."

He chuckled and kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he stroked his hands down her sides, toward her panties. With Eric, the sensation had been repulsive. Ned's touch made her flush in anticipation. He pushed her underwear down and she wriggled her hips, letting them fall to the floor. When she flicked her ankle, she was naked save her wedding ring, while her husband was still practically fully clothed.

"This how you wanted it?" Ned asked her, panting a little from their kiss.

She raised an eyebrow, then reached down and opened his pants. She pushed the flaps apart until his hips were bare, but she didn't peel the tight fabric down his legs, and his boots were still on.

"Yep."

"And what about this is making you so hot," he murmured, nipping at her neck. She could feel his bare cock against her belly.

"You're some landed lord whose wife is away," she moaned. "And you want me so much that you can't even wait to get your clothes off."

"Who has the time, when yours take so long," he teased her. "So we're having some hot affair?"

"Or maybe I'm the housemaid—"

"Not today," Ned mumbled into her neck.

"Good point," she said. "Or maybe you're my husband and this is how I wanted you, like an extra out of _Pride and Prejudice._ "

"That works," he told her, moving onto his knees on the mattress, his arms around her. "And how, pray tell, do extras from _Pride and Prejudice_ fuck?"

"They wouldn't," she informed him. "They would 'indulge in marital intercourse.'"

Ned laughed. "That sounds even dirtier."

"Doesn't it?" She slipped her arms around his shoulders again, pulling him on top of her. "I want to feel you on me," she murmured, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I want to feel you even after you've come. Make it rough, baby, make me scream."

Ned teased his way down her body again, slowly, taking his time with it. He brushed his lips and fingertips down her neck and over her shoulders, suckling and teasing her nipples until she was writhing under him. He trailed his mouth down over her belly, his fingertips brushing in ticklish trails over her inner and outer thighs, her sides, the shaved join of her legs. She ran her fingers through his hair, arching her hips up, wanton in her need for contact, for release.

He parted her and rubbed her clit, his thumb circling the slick flesh, and she sucked in a breath, tensing under him. She shivered, moving restlessly, and when he plunged two fingers up between her legs she let out a low moan. "Yes," she begged him, her hips jerking and rolling under him to keep the contact. "Yes, oh my God yes."

"Tell me," he growled. "What you wanted, the other day, when you were fucking that damn toy right next to me. Tell me again."

"You," she moaned, doubling her legs, pushing herself up on her toes to give him better access. "I wanted you so much, Ned, oh my God I wanted _you_ , wanted you to fuck me so hard I wouldn't be able to sit down, oh my _God_ it feels so good," she panted out. "God, baby I want you so much, now, _now_ , please, please..."

"What is it that you want."

" _You_ ," she sobbed out. "God, I want you to fuck me, so much, please, _please_ , I want you inside me, want your cock inside me, I am _so wet_ for you—"

Ned flicked his nail over her clit and Nancy arched hard under him, breaking off with a loud, desperate cry, his fingers still working inside her. Her hips and shoulders jerked as she moved against and with his thrusts, and when he gently bit her nipple she rolled her hips, moaning. "Please, _please, yes,_ " she begged, her nails raking down his back.

When her orgasm began to rise she grew frantic under him. "God, baby, _oh my God_ I want you so much," she sobbed, groping over him, trying to find his hips, his cock, to urge him against her. He added a third finger to the ones thrusting between her thighs and she let out a choked cry, throwing her head back as she felt herself scream, felt herself come, _hard_. He caressed her through it, slowing, his strokes growing lighter.

She was trembling when he pulled his hand away from her. Then she heard him stroking himself with the slick trace of her arousal, and—

He thrust into her at once, swiftly, almost brutally, to the hilt, and she arched up off the bed, screaming at the feel of him. He lowered himself onto her, pinning her to the bed, his cock moving rapidly against her slick inner flesh, and she was so fucking sensitive from her orgasm that the sensation was enough to make her tense, delirious with the painful intensity of it. Rapidly, impatiently, she fumbled open the buttons of his shirt, seeking contact with his bare flesh, and as he fucked her she began to respond, trembling, burbling wordless pleas.

When she came that second time her legs were fully open, spread wide under him, her entire body jerking in time with his thrusts, and her throat was raw and dry from her screams. He brushed his thumb over her clit and she released another rough, panting cry, her nails digging into his back through his jacket and shirt.

Ned collapsed to her when she was still rocking under him, flushed and slick with sweat, and she pressed her lips to his collarbone. It was so strange, to be naked under him, to have him almost fully clothed above her, and Ned panted his breath back as they slowed to a stop.

"Mmmm. _Fuck_ ," he breathed, turning his face into the pillow.

When she was able to think straight again, when she was able to get herself under control and open her eyes, Ned gently moved off her. She lay there, still sprawled on the bed, as Ned tossed his coat and shirt in the direction of her dress, worked his boots off, peeled the pants down his legs. He pulled back the covers and slipped underneath naked, and Nancy groaned as she slid back over the covers, maneuvering to do the same.

Ned chuckled as she snuggled up against him. "Yeah, it always works out so well when we sleep naked."

"It definitely does," she told him, her lips moving against his chest. "Thanks again," she murmured.

He stroked her hair a few times. "I'm just glad you didn't start shouting 'Mr. Darcy! Oh, Mr. Darcy!' in the middle of it."

She smacked his arm lightly. "I meant the dance, but... that, that was pretty fucking awesome too. And, as to the 'Mr. Darcy!' thing, well... the night is young."

"Babe, I am _not_ putting on a wet white t-shirt just for your benefit."

Nancy trailed her fingertips down his chest. "You sure about that?"

He chuckled. "Well, not tonight, anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by killingstreak.

“Just going to get a few drinks with the guys.” Ned's voice was warm over the phone as he called Nancy to inform her that he wouldn't be back for dinner.

“Don't stay up, though,” he warned. “Might be a while.”

To Nancy, it felt like _he_ was the one on a case, not resting until he got to the bottom of it and wrapped things up. He was coming home exhausted and frustrated every day, angry with each passing day that Zach still didn't, _couldn't_ , see things from another point of view, from the _correct_ point of view, angry at all the gossip that was making rounds in the office that Zach was being coddled because he was a guy. Above all, he _hated_ the way Alissa looked at him or any of the other guys on the board. As if she had already mentally grouped them to be all of the same calibre.

After she hung up the phone, promising to go to bed after the eleven o'clock news, she sighed. Ned had been keeping late nights for the past few days. They had managed to have quick sex on the one night when he wasn't too tired to do anything else but kiss her goodnight, but that hadn't been very satisfying. He had tried to hold it back for her, had touched her as she liked but he was exhausted and it wasn't anything like the screaming climax she had the night of the masquerade party. _That_ was what she wanted.

It was all because of Zach. _Still_ because of Zach. He was a damn troublemaker and a damn waste of time.

-

They had been having this conversation for a solid hour already.

Ned took a swig from his longneck.

Hell. He would never force himself upon Nancy.

Nancy had said 'no' plenty of times when they were having sex, especially when he would try to coax a second orgasm out of her immediately after her first, when she was still raw and overly sensitive. He only continued because that wasn't the safe word, and he always managed to turn it into a 'yes'. More often than not, it would be screams that followed, not coherent words.

And Alissa. He was pretty sure Zach hadn't managed to make her come through the sheer power of his gaze, that when she rejected him, it wasn't to make him hot or make her hard to get.

Sometimes Ned wondered why the hell his company hired Zach. He certainly wasn't that intelligent, when it came to women especially.

The rest of the board was here, including Zach. It was really quite useless to grill him any further. He either had no brains or had too big an ego. Or perhaps both, Ned thought darkly as he saw Zach shoot a dazzling smile at a passing blonde, his hand already swinging into an arc in a blind attempt to grab her ass. The blonde turned around, and Ned saw that she was already half-gone, her face red, the grin she returned a little too wide.

“She likes me,” Zach pronounced, grinning, as the rest of the group chugged down their drinks in an attempt to hide their groans.

He was never going to learn. Not until he got slapped with a lawsuit or charges for his behavior. Even then, Ned was pretty sure he'd still be thinking otherwise.

“She does _not_ ,” Richard growled, saving Ned the trouble of replying. “You are an idiot.”

“And an asshole,” Ned added. “Seriously. How many girls have you pulled this on?”

Zach shrugged, a grin plastered on his face. “Dunno. They probably secretly liked it anyway."

The blonde came back, a drink in hand, and from the way she was swaying as she made her way over, Ned could see that she was stoned. She stood for a minute in front of their table, carefully studying all their faces before she slowly approached Ned, smiling seductively. Inwardly, he groaned. They were always coming to him, and that always made Nancy mad. Although what he wouldn't give, to see Nancy's eyes flash, to feel her slide her hand possessively onto his thigh right now.

Ned held up his hand, palms out. “Sorry, no.” He glanced over at Zach, who was watching with interested eyes. “And by no, I don't mean _later_.”

She pouted and Ned gently took her arm and steered her in the direction of Zach.

“Him, yes.”

Zach stood up and slung his arm round her waist. “Let me buy you a drink, baby.”

When he was gone, Ned looked at the rest of the guys.

Richard shook his head, disgusted. “Boss, can't you just kick him out to another floor?”

“So he can harass a new bunch of women?”

Their boss snorted. “ _Rich_.”

“I'm gonna get another drink.” Ned said to no one in particular as he stood up. So Zach was probably gone for the night—they could be sure to hear of his crusade tomorrow morning, down to the very last juicy detail—and his boss wasn't going to continue this conversation any longer and... hell. He could be in bed with Nancy right now. He basically just wasted two hours of his precious night for an asshole.

-

Nancy looked at the clock and sighed before casting a disparaging glance at the television. Just the usual bemoaning on the economy. She never had any interest in that subject.

Her eyes flicked to the coffee table, the grocery pad lying on top, before her lips curled up to a tiny smile.

Smiling, she pushed herself off the couch and headed to their bedroom to change.

-

Ned had just finished his drink, the alcohol making him feel considerably warm and fuzzy, when he felt a cool hand touch his bare arm. Someone was leaning very close to him.

He jerked in surprise, about to shrug the person off, when he saw the matching wedding band. The same hand drifted down his chest, down his pecs, before dipping into his breast pocket.

“You really shouldn't drink and drive, darling,” Nancy cooed, before she kissed his cheek.

Ned turned around in his seat and grinned up at her as Nancy straightened. She was wearing a dark trenchcoat with heels and Ned smirked a little. She wouldn't have bothered with the trenchcoat if she was wearing something appropriate underneath.

He took the sash in his hand and tugged it slightly, watching her reaction very carefully.

Her eyes didn't widen in shock; nor did she gasp in surprise. Instead she stood her ground, one eyebrow raised, her face calm as she challenged him to call her bluff.

At the very last minute he changed his mind and instead slid his hand up under her coat, pushing the hem up inch by inch. As the hemline crept dangerously high, he looked up at her and she cocked her head to one side, her eyes dancing.

He hadn't spoken since she arrived and he knew his colleagues were watching a little too closely. Not that they didn't know who she was; they obviously knew. They were also slightly in awe of her. But that didn't stop them from wanting to know what was under her coat.

She took a step back, her legs miles long with her stilettos on, as she shot him a wicked grin, her lashes fluttering.

“Come home, baby.” It sounded like an ordinary statement, but Ned knew it was more than that.

It was a promise.

Unable to suppress his grin, he nodded at his colleagues as the single men shot him looks hot with jealousy. Before he was fully on his feet, his arm was already around her waist, running down her side.

He couldn't wait.

-

“So what are you wearing under that,” he murmured, once they were outside, his fingers toying with the sash.

Nancy shrugged. “Whatever you want me to wear.”

“No shit,” Ned replied, shaking his head. “Then you'd be wearing nothing.”

She smiled at him just as she gave the sash a hard tug and her coat gaped open to reveal her in the tiniest red lingerie set he had ever seen.

Immediately his gaze dropped from her face, down, and then he stepped in, effectively pinning her to the car frame as he kissed her hard, his knee nudging her legs apart as she moaned mid-kiss, her hands lingering at the back of his head. His hand pushed down her trench and it hung just from the point of her frame, and she shivered when the wind struck her bare flesh.

Ned pulled back, panting slightly. “Haven't kissed you in _hours_.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We haven't fucked in _days_.”

And god, she looked so hot, her lips red from their kiss, her coat gaping open to reveal the tiny bit of offensive fabric. He wanted to bend her over the trunk of the car and take her from behind, slamming hard into her until her cries brought the entire bar out to the parking lot.

“ _Babe_.” He groaned as his mouth crashed over hers again, their tongues lashing together in a frenzy as he leaned in further, his arms wrapped around her waist.He boosted her up, and Nancy immediately wrapped her legs round his hips, her heels digging into his back. Her coat slipped off her shoulders and pooled onto the gravel and when he broke the kiss, under the dim glare of the streetlamp, he could see that her bra was made of fragile sheer chiffon with hardly any padding, the thin cloth barely concealing her nipples, which were hardening under his gaze.

His gaze went back to her face and he leaned her against the car frame and she gasped slightly at the cool metal against her back.

“Baby,” he repeated as he kissed her cheek, trailed kisses down her neck, down to the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder as his finger gently nudged down one of her bra straps. He glanced back at her, studying her reaction, waiting for a protest to form on her lips, but she was holding his gaze steadily, her chin tilted slightly, defiantly, and then she rocked down on him, started to fucking _grind_ against him through his dress pants and oh, oh _fuck,_ they couldn't be doing this – they were in the open, behind a bar, and anytime drunken patrons would come stumbling out of the back door and catch them in the act.

Ned had to admit that he honestly didn't care.

She circled her hips and rubbed against the growing bulge and when she managed to angle so that it brushed against her clit she let out a breathy moan. Ned snarled as his hand dipped down and pushed aside the miniscule fabric that was covering the join of her thighs.

“I want to fuck you _right here, right now_ ,” he said gruffly as his fingertip brushed against her clit and she arched against him, moaning, her hips bucking to seek contact with him.

“Yes,” she mumbled, her head tilted back, and when he slipped two fingers in her she let out a low moan that nearly pushed him over the edge.

That, plus the fact that anyone who looked in their direction could see what they were doing, made him incredibly aroused.

He let her down and her four-inch heels put their hips almost level. He pushed down her other bra strap and while the band kept her bra up, the cloth fell down, exposing her full breasts to him. He latched onto one, his tongue moistening it as he drove his fingers up into her. Nancy moaned, shifting slightly, pulling his head closer as she bent her knees to give him better access.

When she came to see him, she never expected him to feel her up in the parking lot outside, never expected him to be this brazen.

She had to admit that a part of her secretly wanted someone to walk out of the back door and catch them in the act, to see how Ned couldn't keep his hands off her, to see how badly he wanted her and how aroused she'd made him. She was immensely proud of that.

When she started to rock down onto him, to drive him deeper into her, Ned removed his fingers and she protested with a cry, her eyebrows knitting together. Ned stepped back and she was left teetering on her outrageously high heels, her chest heaving slightly.

She saw his eyes roving up and down her body until she pushed herself off the frame of the car, and took the two steps towards him, her hands cupping his erection which was straining against his pants.

“Must be so uncomfortable,” she murmured, as she pulled down the zipper. He sighed as his erection sprang free.

She gently palmed him and he let out a breath. “Looks like someone's awake.”

Ned groaned as she ran her thumb around his head. “He sure is.”

When she released him to take a step back before slowly sinking down to her knees, his eyes widened.

He never forced her to give him a blowjob or a handjob, mostly because he never needed one to get hard. Just seeing her like this was enough to get him fully erect.

Nancy couldn't help but giggle as she looked up at him. “God, I feel like a porn star.”

He groaned as she took him in her mouth slowly. “Babe, trust me, you're a million times hotter than any of them.”

“Better too?” Nancy asked, teasing him a little as she flicked the tip of his cock with her tongue, her fingertips gently caressing his balls.

“Fuck yes,” Ned answered, his eyes closed as he leaned back slightly, his hands gravitating to the back of her head.

Nancy pulled back with an audible pop and Ned opened his eyes, disappointed. She smacked his thigh and narrowed her eyes at him as she got back up her feet.

“Liar,” she accused him. “You haven't had any of them suck you off before.”

Ned chuckled before he embraced her, kissing her, and she could feel his cock, wet with her saliva, pressed against her belly.

When he pulled back, his eyes were half-lidded with desire.

“Get in the car,” she whispered.

“No,” Ned replied as he scooped her up.

She wrapped her legs round his waist and with a cry, realized that she could rub herself along the length of him. Ned groaned, half-stumbling as he carried her to the other side of the car, to where they would at least have the benefit of shadow.

“Fuck,” Ned cursed. With one hand and his knee, he propped her against the car and with his other hand, he easily ripped her thong off. Nancy scowled at him when the fabric fluttered down to the pavement, although her expression changed when the head of his cock jutted against her entrance. She reached down between them and found him already angling himself to fit into her.

“Open yourself for me, baby,” he breathed, his mouth at her ear. She moaned, her head tilted back as he needled her earlobe with his teeth. She obeyed, and when he pushed himself in, they both groaned, and she shivered at the sensation.

“God,” she groaned as Ned pushed himself all the way in, his size filling her up completely, stretching her, the breeze cool against the peaks of her nipples. They rarely had sex like this, against the wall or a hard surface, and the change in angle felt new, felt incredibly good. Knowing they could be discovered in the act any second now was giving her a rush like she had never felt before; part of her still couldn't believe they were doing this.

“Still so fucking tight,” Ned murmured, making a pleased sound as he pulled out for another thrust. She gripped his biceps, her other hand planted on the car roof for leverage as he thrust into her again and again, burying himself over and over in her, his every thrust jarring her body, her breasts bouncing hard. She was biting her lip to keep her cries in, her mouth rounding in silent screams as he thrust harder, more viciously.

She rocked her hips down as he pushed up, taking him deeper, and he gasped as she tightened around him, as she purposely clenched hard around him.

After one brutal thrust which had him hilt deep in her, his arms tightened around her, locking her securely to him before he took a step back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then thrust her hips, circling them, wickedly twisting at the apex of her thrust, and he staggered.

“Fuck, Nan,” he panted. He gripped her ass and pushed himself deeper in retaliation, and she cried out. Between them they managed to fumble open the car door and he released her on the car seat.

Immediately she lay down, her legs already spread for him, her hips circling a little as she protested the lack of contact.

“Ned,” she pouted as she reached behind her and unfastened her bra, throwing it down onto the car floor.

Ned grinned as he took a step back and looked at her sprawled out and ready for him before he went down on her. She cried out immediately, panting out loud gasping cries as he suckled against her, his tongue darting against her, his thumb teasing her clit.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she cried out, her hips bucking wildly as she tried to push them up, tried to pull him closer. When he had brought her just to the edge, she was begging, her pleas incoherent, her thighs wrapped around him to keep him against her. When he pushed himself up without quite giving her her release, she groaned in disappointment, shooting him an angry stare.

“Fuck _you_ ,” she articulated clearly, her lips rounding, as she felt her orgasm teeter at the edge and then crumble, and Ned shook his head, a grin on his face.

He lowered himself slowly, taking his time, and she pushed herself up on her elbows, watching him slowly press into her. When he was fully in her, he pulled her legs together, up, until they were over his shoulders, as he leaned over her, his weight propped up with his arms. He straightened his legs fully, so that he was leaning his weight on his toes, on the concrete floor, bent at a 45 degrees angle towards her.

“I will gladly fuck _you_ ,” Ned replied, grinning as she laughed. Her laughter was cut off when he dragged her to the edge of the seat, started to move against her, started to _pound_ into her, and then her gasps became cries and became all-out screams as he fucked her harder and faster, without mercy, the sound of skin of skin, the slide of him against her wet inner flesh, his balls slapping against her ass bringing a prickly flush to her face.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” she gasped, her throat raw and dry from her screams, as she tried to swallow, nearly choking in the process, tears standing in her eyes. She was so close, so _so_ close to her release, as he fucked her harder and the way he was positioned over her made her helpless, totally in his power, and that drove her crazy. She never really told him but she always loved it when he was on top. She loved it when he dominated her, when he took control.

“Baby,” Ned gasped, breathless, as he thrust harder, sweat gleaming on his face. “Come,” he demanded, staring at her in the eye, and then he straightened, grasped her hips and pulled them up, her legs falling off his shoulder, splayed apart. He touched her clit and she shook, visibly shuddered and then he squeezed it between his thumb and forefinger and she arched off the seat, her hips bucking wildly.

“Fuck, Ned, fuck, oh god, _fuck_.” Nancy cried out, as her climax washed over her, as she screamed full-throated when he slammed into her and released, hot and quick, as her inner walls continued to spasm around him.

When she got her breath back, Nancy looked up at him. “I never intended for us to have sex in the car when I came here today,” she said.

Ned laughed. “Sorry,” he apologized, insincerely.

“Next time I'm going to tie you to our bed and fuck you till you break,” she promised.

Ned shifted slightly above her, still buried deep within her, sighing happily. He brushed the hair which had stuck to the side of her face away and pressed a kiss to her sweaty skin, nuzzling against her.

Pulling back, he crooked a finger under her chin to turn her face to him, to meet those blazing blue eyes of hers.

“Can't wait,” he whispered, as he kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by ndnickerson.

"What's the emergency?"

Ned pushed it all out in one breath, stopping short as he saw Nancy standing in their kitchen, waiting for him. She was propped up against the counter in a pair of jeans that made her ass look positively breathtaking, a deep blue tank top that made her eyes look a shade darker, her hair in a spill of messy waves down her back. A half-empty bottle of rum stood on the counter, with two shot glasses. A trace of clear liquid still lingered in the bowl of the one closer to her.

Friday night. He had fully intended on walking in and carrying her straight to bed, then ordering pizza, then taking her to bed again. But her makeup was fresh and she wore high-heeled boots.

"Get changed," she told him, a sparkle in her eye. "The cab'll be here in a few minutes."

The cab took them to Mike and Jan's house. Ned wasn't sure how much Nancy had had to drink before they left, but she walked into Mike's house already loud and vivacious. Bess and George and their significant others showed up soon after, and Ned downed a few beers in quick succession, trying to catch up to his wife.

It was different, going out with the guys—although the last time he could remember the pleasant warmth and fuzziness of liquor in his belly, he had also been delighted when his wife had shown up, and then he had practically ravished her on the hood of the car. Mmm. Mike and Jan had a spare bedroom, a bathroom, a laundry room...

They had made great headway into their decimation of the O'Shea liquor cabinet when someone, he wasn't sure who, suggested truth or dare. The guys dared the girls to play strip poker, to make out with each other; the girls dared the guys to play their own strip poker, and asked about stupid things they remembered from the drunken blur of weekends at Emerson, until they were all aching with laughter, heavy with the recollection of a hundred other nights like this one.

It was late and cold when they came back home, and Nancy shivered as they dashed from the cab to their house, and they laughed at each other as he keyed in. Ned felt _amazing_.

"You... you are awesome."

Nancy beamed obnoxiously at him, her hair a little limp now, her face shining a little, and she wasn't feeling any pain either. "I know I am," she agreed. "For what?"

"For... getting this little... thing planned, for tonight."

She laid a hand on his arm. "Mmm," she agreed, her eyes dancing. "And what kind of... repayment, can I expect?"

"That's a very good question," he said. "Maybe another little private game of truth or dare."

"Oooh," she chimed in, making her eyes wide. She hooked a thumb in a belt loop as she stroked down his arm. "Really."

Ned nodded, and then his gaze grew a little unfocused. "I dunno. I..." He collapsed to the couch. The house felt strange with no television, no music, nothing, just the kitchen light and the two of them in gray shadow.

"I need another shot," Nancy said when he didn't pick up the conversational thread again. She came back wrestling the bottle and both shot glasses, and she poured two. Ned picked his up without comment, clinked it against hers, and they both tossed theirs back.

"Mmm. Tastes like... nothing." Nancy smiled dreamily, tilting her face to the side.

"Mmm. Bad—bad sign," Ned announced, slamming his shot glass down. " _Fuck_. One more. One more, right?"

"Sure thing," Nancy said with an exaggerated nod. She made a few false grabs for the bottle and almost tipped it over, then very carefully poured their shots.

"Truth or dare, baby," Ned slurred, as he slammed it down again.

Nancy turned to him, studying him from beneath lowered lashes. The color was high in her cheeks and she couldn't stifle a giggle. "Dare," she said, a challenge in her voice that was dispelled as soon as she giggled again.

Ned's heart started beating faster. "I want... I wanna have a threesome," he told her, then glanced up at her eyes.

The sultry look on her face turned to a pout, and she poured herself another shot. "Ned..." she drawled, pleading. "Baby..."

Ned shook his head. "Wha... what are you 'fraid of, babe?"

She wiped a stray drop of rum from the corner of her mouth and sighed. "Not 'fraid," she told him. "Need... God, so thirsty."

When she was on the way back with her glass of water, she very nearly ricocheted off the edge of the kitchen table and into the doorframe, and bent nearly double with laughter, a thin lip of water sloshing over the rim. "Where's mine?" Ned asked, and that sent her into a fresh round of giggles, and her blue eyes were so gorgeous when she laughed.

"You are 'fraid," he accused her, indistinctly, once she had successfully completed her mission. "You... oh baby it would be so _fucking_ hot."

Nancy pulled her boots off and tucked her legs up close, directing a hurt glance in his direction. "Would _not_."

"No, jus... jus..."

Nancy opened her eyes wide again as he stammered, the drink making it hard to string three coherent words together. "You _think_ about it, don't you?" she hissed, as though the idea was just occurring to her, that his request hadn't been spontaneous. " _Jack off_ while you're thinkin of... what... some other _man_ fucking me?"

Ned shook his head, nonsensically shushing her. "I... no, baby... not some other man. Another woman."

She wrinkled her nose at him, and the juvenile expression almost made him laugh too. "Nuh-uh. _Noooooo._ "

"Jus... jus, baby, jus _listen_."

Nancy poured herself another shot, picked it up, but didn't actually take it. She didn't say no, so Ned took that as a sign he should continue.

"I... it's like, I come home, and I see you. In the kitchen, in your little apron or whatever, and your heels, and that's it."

Her gaze was relatively steady on him. Maybe. The room kept moving. It was hard to be entirely sure. That particular mental image was one he had kept for a very long time. He liked the one better where she just met him at the door naked, but whatever.

"And Bess—"

Nancy made a noise and tossed the shot back, the flush more pronounced in her cheek.

Ned kept going, though. He couldn't stop. And the thought of it was making him a little hard, too. "Bess is here, sitting on the couch, wearing a little... whatever. I dunno."

Nancy sat up. "I should throw that water in your goddamn face," she said, her voice hoarse with anger. " _Bess?"_

"It..." Ned held his hands up. "It doesn't have to be her. Is there... is there another girl you would want it to be?"

She cut her eyes at him. "I'm not a lesbian," she told him. "What the hell, you think whenever Bess and George and I slept in the same hotel room we'd all have pillow fights and then start, I don't know, making out or whatever the fuck—"

Ned reached for the zipper of his pants. "Keep going," he said, when she trailed off and noticed what he was doing. She made a half-disgusted noise and whacked him with one of the couch throw pillows.

"Besides, Bess so isn't my type. If I was going to go gay for anyone, it'd be..."

"Angelina Jolie?" Ned said hopefully.

" _You'd_ go gay for her," Nancy replied scornfully. "No. Yvonne Strahov—Stra-hov-ski," she had to pronounce slowly.

"Really?" Ned was grinning as he gazed at her.

"I said _if,_ " she said severely. "Which means no. Which means this little fucked up fantasy you have going..."

Ned took that as encouragement to continue. "So Yvonne is sitting there on the couch in a little nightie, and she says hi, and you grab me and tell me that you have this little treat planned for me."

Nancy grabbed one of the other throw pillows and hugged it close to her, still glaring at her husband.

"So you take off the apron and you're topless, which is really fucking hot..." Ned gazed openly at her chest. "Maybe you wanna...?"

"You'll be lucky if I ever take my top off for you again," she said, sounding much more sober than Ned felt.

Even so, he still couldn't stop himself. "Yvonne comes over and you each take my hand and you lead me to the bedroom. You tell me to sit on the bed and Yvonne comes over to you and you two start making out... and it is super hot. She plays with your boobs and you start moaning, and then you take her nightie off and you play with her too..." Ned glanced over at his wife, and if anything, her expression was darker. "Then you two come over to me and start taking my clothes off, and I have never been harder in my damn life. Yvonne touches me and you get really jealous, and she gets down on her knees on the floor and says she's really sorry, that she'll do anything you say, and you look at me and ask what you should have her do, and I tell you that she should get you on the bed and eat you out to prove how sorry she is."

Nancy released a soft growl, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"So she goes down on you, baby, and I tell her to make you nice and wet for me, and she licks your pussy like it's honey, she sucks your clit until you are so wet you are about to come. Then she pulls back and goes to this little bag she's got... and she pulls out this double dildo strap-on she brought just for us."

Nancy rolled her eyes.

"So I tell her to bend you over the bed and get you ready to take it, so she gets the lube and fingers your ass until you're ready for it, and then I pull you on top of me and baby you have never been so fucking wet in your entire life, and you are _begging_ for it, begging us to fuck you. So Yvonne takes the double dildo and slides it up into her pussy and works it a little, until she's good and wet around it, and then she gets up behind you. I get you on top of me and you, you take every inch of my cock, and then Yvonne pushes that dildo up inside you and you scream a little because it feels so damn good, and she starts playing with your nipples and you start playing with your clit and you ride me while she fucks you, and then I grab your breasts while she rubs your clit, and she's screaming and you're screaming, and even after I come you aren't done so she pulls out of your ass and flips you around and I get to watch while she fucks you, and you suck on her breasts and then I get hard again, and while you are riding the shit out of her I take you from behind.

"And then you finally, _finally_ come, and we just lay there, naked, for a long time, and I ask you what you want to do, and you tell me that she ate you out, so it's only fair for you to return the favor. So she sits on your face while I go down on you again, and when she's still shaking I... I tell you to get the dildo and you fuck her from behind while she's riding me."

Nancy poured herself another shot and tossed it back neat. "And," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You want more?" Ned's eyebrows went up.

"No," Nancy said. "I want you to get it out of your fucking system."

"That's... that's pretty much it," Ned admitted. "I mean, other than you two fingering each other and making out..."

"And that's what you'd want."

"Baby, I don't want anything you don't want."

She poured herself another shot and barely winced as it went down. "Bullshit."

"That didn't get you hot?"

She laughed a harsh, sarcastic laugh. "The only person I want eating me out is _you_ ," she told him, firmly. "I don't want a toy between my legs unless you or I put it there. And I definitely," she said, leaning forward, pinning him with her gaze, " _definitely_ don't want some other woman's _goddamn_ hands all over you. And if that's what you want—"

Ned shook his head. "I just really like the idea of watching you with another girl... of another girl fucking you while I'm fucking you. All that other stuff..." He shrugged, wide-eyed.

"Never. Going. To fucking. Happen." Her blue eyes were still hot with anger on him. "I'm _sorry_ if I'm just not enough for you."

"Baby... you know that's not it. It's just one of those stupid things. It just looks so hot..."

She snorted. "You and your fucking porn."

Ned crossed his arms. "So you are never _never_ interested."

"I think I made that perfectly clear."

"And what have I said is off the table? That's not very fair. To not even try it once."

Nancy glanced down at his pants, a wry smile on her face, and she saw that he was still hard from the little story he'd told her. "How about I tell you a little story?"

Ned opened his pants and freed his cock. "Please do."

She snickered a little, despite herself. "So _I_ come home," she said, her voice pitched low and husky, "and you're in the kitchen, making dinner, because you know I haven't been feeling well. You tell me to go change while you finish, and I come back in jeans and a t-shirt, and, let me just mention at this point, that we're fucking _alone_ in the house and you're fully clothed. We have dinner and a bottle of wine with it and we talk about what kind of days we've had, and after dinner you tell me to go sit down on the couch, put my feet up and just relax while you clean up and do the dishes.

"So we watch a movie together, curled up on the couch, and you don't whine about flipping it to ESPN _even once_ , and when you see that my stomach's hurting you stroke my belly until it feels better."

Ned's gaze was on her. "I've done all that before."

"At the same time?" she returned. "And like you can go an hour without checking ESPN, even if it's on your phone.

"So we finish the movie and the wine and we go to bed, and you tell me you have another treat for me, that you're going to give me a massage. So I get in bed and lie there on my stomach and you give me a massage, slow, and you ask me if I need anything, if I want anything, and when I turn over—I'm only in my panties at this point—I see that you're hard, for me."

Ned nodded his approval, idly brushing his thumb against the head of his cock.

"I ask you what you want me to do, if you want me to suck you off, and you say no... and you look down. Then you tell me that you want me, but I'm on my period—"

Ned sucked in an audible breath. "Nan—"

"And I get on my knees and you finger me through my panties until I'm moaning, and I can feel you, can feel how hot, how hard you are for me, against the small of my back. You push my panties down at the back and I know that you want to do anal, you get the lube and finger me until I'm ready for it, but then when you get up behind me, you go down too far and oh, you slide up into me and I'm so slick and so hot that almost immediately you start fucking me."

Ned shook his head. " _God._ "

"You say," she continued, her eyes glowing as she moved a little closer to him, "that I have _never_ felt so wet before and I tell you how good it feels, how much I've wanted you since I started, and you rub my clit and fuck me hard, and when I finally come you do too. You have to be really careful, all the way to the bathroom to clean up, but then you tell me that it was _so_ worth it, that you don't know why you waited so damn long.

"And then you hold me and stroke my hair until we fall asleep."

Ned poured and downed two shots before he responded. " _No. Fuck no._ "

"What was it you said, about... not even trying it once?"

He shook his head. "God. _No_. I mean... the thought of that? Of having your... your _blood_ all over me like that? I'd feel like I was hurting you, and it would just..." He shuddered.

"Well then," she replied, and smirked. "I don't want anyone else in bed with us, and you refuse to have sex with me five nights of the month."

"Not all the nights," he pointed out. "Giving me a blow job is always on the table."

"Yeah, because I just love sucking you off when there's absolutely no chance of you returning the favor in any way, shape, or form," she returned sarcastically.

Ned sighed.

"I mean, if you invited _Johnny Depp_ —"

Ned shot her a withering glare. "You know, I'd almost go along with it, but not him. You'd just be drooling over him the whole time—"

"And that's what you'd be doing, too," she told him. "I know you just want to watch some other girl fuck me, but... it's _you_. _You_ are the one I want making me come. _You_."

Ned sighed and poured them each another shot. They had practically killed the bottle; only a trace of the clear liquid remained. "So... I guess we should just go to bed."

Nancy shook her head. "I've been wet for you since I called you this afternoon."

"You sure it wasn't the thought of Yvonne's tongue in your pussy?"

"Very sure it wasn't that," she told him. "It was the thought of _your_ tongue in my... yeah."

Ned chuckled. "So what do you want to do?"

She propped her chin on her hand. "What's something we've always said we want to do but haven't gotten around to doing?"

They pondered for a moment. It was incredibly hard to think. "Sex inside the Statue of Liberty," Ned announced.

Nancy started laughing. "Sex while rappelling down the side of a mountain."

"On the back of a camel."

"In the closet. Oh, wait, we did that."

Ned divided the scant remainder of the rum between the shot glasses and they finished it off. "While totally fucked up. Oh, we've done that too."

"While body painting."

"With our parents in the next room."

Nancy made a face at him, then visibly came to some realization. It took her four tries to struggle to her feet, and she almost fell down laughing on the way to the kitchen, but she came back with a jar.

Hot fudge sauce.

Ned's eyes widened. "I... I dunno."

"Oh, come _on_ ," Nancy drawled. "Chickenshit?"

"Just... it'd be _hot_ , y'know?"

In the end, the rum sizzling pleasantly through their veins, they headed to the bedroom with their supplies, still laughing a little at each other, although Nancy could feel how incredibly fucking wet she already was for him. They pulled their clothes off as soon as they were facing the bed, and though Ned sprawled out on the mattress as soon as he was naked, Nancy went to their linen closet and came back with a towel.

"What?" she said, when he raised his eyebrows at her. "I just fucking changed the sheets."

"No, I just think we'll need more towels."

They ended up spreading four towels over the bed, and then Ned looked at her across the mattress. "So... you're not really on your period, right? Because I—"

She shook her head. "Definitely not."

"Thank God," he mumbled, climbing onto the bed. "Come here."

Nancy laid down, entirely naked, on the bed. She was burning up from all the alcohol, jumpy with anticipation. They had never done this, even though she couldn't count the number of times they had threatened it.

"Close your eyes."

She obeyed, wondering what he was going to do first. She heard the dull scrape of the utensil, the sound of him stirring, and then—

She flinched, hissing, as the freezing cold touched her right nipple. She shivered when it touched her left.

Ned had taken the spoon and stirred together the chocolate syrup and ice cream, then spooned a bit of the freezing mixture directly onto her bare, already-hard nipples. She felt the mattress dip and then he was licking it off, licking her nipple entirely clean. A drip trailed cold down the curve of her breast and he followed it, fastidiously swirling his tongue over every trace of the chocolate before he suckled, hard, against her nipple, now even more sensitive. She trembled and Ned kept fondling that nipple as he moved to the other, his tongue seeking the sweet, sticky trail as his suckling brought warmth back to the freezing skin.

He pulled back and Nancy slowly opened her eyes, her legs already open for him.

"Good?"

"Fuck yes," she mumbled.

"God, I'm glad you shaved."

He dipped the spoon into the bowl again and Nancy closed her eyes. This time he left a trail of burning cold down the center of her chest, down over her belly, stopping just below her belly button. He lapped it off her, slowly, and she writhed a little under him, circling her hips. His fingers were blazing cold wherever they touched her.

He dipped into the bowl again and this time she whimpered when he drew a line of the cold, slippery dessert down below her belly button, to the join of her spread legs. He gently pushed her inner lips open, and she shuddered, her hips jerking as he dropped a spoonful directly onto her clit.

"Oh God, oh _God_ ," she squealed, the cold making her even more aroused as it numbed her inner lips. He kept her parted as he worked his way down her belly, and then—

" _Ned_ ," she screamed as her husband licked the cold ice cream off her clit. He dipped his tongue between her legs, the tip exploring the folds of wet flesh, finding everywhere the dripping sweetness had mingled with the slick proof of her arousal, but he kept returning to her clit. She was trembling, arched and rocking against him, as he deliberately dropped another spoonful against her clit. She scrabbled hard against the sheets, bunching a towel in her fists as he licked it off, and when he finished she was close to finishing herself, her hips rhythmically circling under him.

"Please, _please, d_ o it," she begged him, and Ned dipped his fingers into the ice cream bowl, then rubbed them against the slick hot folds of her sex, dipped them into the wet press of her. He licked and sucked the chocolate off her and she came, shuddering, pulsing under the press of his tongue and his chilly fingers, the numbing cold making her flesh all the more sensitive.

She blinked lazily up at him when she had recovered herself, still sprawled open on the bed.

"Good?"

She nodded and groaned. "Why did we wait so long to do this?"

Ned chuckled. "Laziness, I guess?"

She gestured for him to get on his back, then reached for the bowl. "And... hmm. _I_ shaved," she said pointedly.

"Hey. I... did a little maintenance," Ned protested.

"If I get a hair in my mouth, I might just start throwing up and never stop," she told him.

He just made a face in response.

She started the same way as he had: with his nipples. Ned threaded his fingers, probably still a little sticky with the remains of the ice cream, into her hair as she licked the chocolate off. She took her time working her way down the center of his chest, too, and spooned even more onto him. The ice cream was melting, although he still flinched when it touched him; it was still very cold.

She kept her eyes on his face as she took a large spoonful and very carefully drew a line of swirled ice cream down the underside of his shaft. Ned sucked in a breath.

"Okay?"

"It's... yeah, okay."

She started at the base of his cock and licked, sucked, stroked the sweetness off with her tongue, as her husband groaned under her, his hand in her hair. She painted the tip of his cock with it and he shuddered as she sucked it off, the salty trace of his precum a hot thread in the chocolate. She let another spoonful drip down his cock and quickly deep-throated him, the cool numbing the back of her throat as Ned let out a choked cry, his fingers firm against her scalp.

She licked the cool syrupy chocolate off his balls, cleaning him off with the tip of her tongue, and Ned's hips were almost pistoning off the bed. "Get up here," Ned growled, and when she slowly pushed herself up on her knees, kneeling over him, he grasped her and flipped her onto her back, sheathing himself swiftly between her thighs.

"Ned," she whimpered, the taste of chocolate and _him_ mingling on her tongue as he pulled out and thrust again. Her clit was still sensitive, and when Ned ran the tip of his nail over it she arched hard up off the bed, angling her hips for him as he buried himself inside her again.

Their lovemaking was desperate, brutal in speed and force, and she kept her eyes open to gaze at him. He was all she had ever wanted. How could he, how could he even _imagine_ bringing someone else into what they shared? They fit together like two halves of a whole. There was no room for anyone else in this.

In her sudden anger she flipped him onto his back and fucked him hard, bouncing against him as he slipped his hand between them and found her clit. She had to do this, had to be that girl he wanted...

_Fuck him._

"Ned," she sobbed out, and tilted her weight back, his hand drifting over her breast. She propped her weight up on her planted palms and rocked her hips down to his as quick as she could, as hard as she could, intentionally clenching her inner flesh tight against him, a wicked grin on her lips as he arched up under her in response. He flicked her clit with his thumb, panting, and they shuddered, the wet sound of their joining under the low pleased groan she made with her rising orgasm.

As she jerked and slowed, her mouth falling open, Ned swiftly pushed himself up and reversed their positions, bearing her down to the bed, her legs limply open as he rocked savagely into her. She moaned and trembled with his every thrust, her nails digging into his upper arms. His angle changed a little and she screamed, throwing her head back, coming, clenching hard around him as he followed.

He collapsed to her and for a long moment all she knew was his weight against her, the feel of his cock inside her, the weak spasms that marked the aftershocks of her orgasm, the ache of her still-tender flesh. He kissed the point of her chin and moved back, leaving her sprawled, sated, half-drowsed.

He took the tail of one of the twisted towels and ran it between her legs, between his own, then tossed it onto the floor. "Shower in the morning," he announced, and she groaned her agreement.

He moved to the center of the bed and she worked her way to him, nuzzling against his bare flesh, sighing in contentment as he wrapped his arm around her. He let out a long, pleased sigh.

Her eyes slowly opened. "I'm not enough for you," she whispered.

Ned patted her. "You are. You _are,"_ he said firmly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"But it's what you want," she said. "What... what can I do different? Did you—what do you want, what am I doing wrong—"

Ned stopped her with a soft kiss. "You aren't doing a _damn_ thing wrong," he assured her. "I mean it. You are fucking amazing."

Nancy pouted, but nestled against his shoulder. "It's hard to believe you," she mumbled.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll fuck you until you've forgotten all about it."

Nancy closed her eyes, draping her arm across his chest. "You'd better."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by killingstreak.

“Nan? Is that you?” Ned called out as Nancy closed the door behind her. It was one in the morning and she was _exhausted_.

“Yeah,” Nancy called back as she toed her shoes off and kicked them into the corner. Her shoulders ached. Work had been terrible today. “Who else were you expecting?”

She saw Ned's form emerge from the shadows of the sofa, hair slightly sticking up, as he grabbed the remote and stabbed the television off.

“Fell asleep,” Ned shrugged as he pushed himself off the sofa, trailing behind her as Nancy walked towards their bedroom.

“So how did things go?” Ned asked cautiously as Nancy emerged from the bathroom, her face bare, teeth freshly brushed.

Sighing, Nancy climbed into bed beside him, her eyelids already drooping. She turned onto her side immediately, her back facing him as she mumbled into her pillow. “Bad.”

“You mean like Eric's a fucking jerk,” Ned said, as he shifted under the covers.

Nancy sighed as she turned around to face Ned. Even in the dark, she could see that his jaw was set.

“Ned...”

“So did he keep his hands to himself this time?” Ned turned onto his side so that he was facing her.

She waited a second too long to answer him and Ned exhaled loudly.

“Which part of _married_ does he not understand?”

“He's an idiot,” Nancy said softly, as she lightly brushed his shoulder. They were so close that she could practically feel the heat radiating off him. “I don't know why he keeps thinking he stands a chance. After he saw _you_.”

“Must have one hell of a damn big ego to think he's any match for me.”

“Just like you,” Nancy teased him and she smiled when she saw him break into a smile.

“You're good for my ego,” Ned teased her back, and she laughed when he pulled her into his arms.

“God, I missed you.”

“Missed you too,” Nancy replied as she tilted her head up for a kiss. The whole day, the only thing that kept her going was coming back home into his arms.

She made a soft noise as his fingers crept under her shirt, to cup her breast, his fingers warm. She knew where he was heading and as much as she wanted it too, she was exhausted. Between juggling her work and fending off unwanted attention, she had no more energy left in her.

“Ned...”

“Hmm?” He made an inquisitive noise as his fingers curved round her waistband, ready to push it down her hips.

Her hand covered his and he stopped mid-way, looking up at her curiously.

“I'm really tired,” Nancy admitted, and she could sense his disappointment and surprise. She said no to him so rarely that she could count all the times on one hand.

“Can I take a rain check on this?” she asked, and Ned nodded as he brushed her hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“If you're not into it, then I'm not either,” he murmured. “But I'm going to hold you to your word.”

“Hoping you'd say that,” Nancy mumbled before she fell asleep.

-

When Nancy woke up she found the other side of the bed empty.

“Ned?” she groaned as she pushed herself up, her hair falling in waves in front of her face. “Ned?” she called again as she went into the kitchen, only to see him attempt to flip the omelet and fail. She laughed and Ned turned around, his eyes narrowed in mock anger.

“You're not getting any later.”

“Any what?” Nancy asked, her eyes widening innocently. “I'm not getting any what? Sex?”

“You little...” Ned growled, taking a step towards her as she stepped back, looking past his shoulder.

“The eggs!” She gasped and as Ned turned to rescue them she ran off to the bathroom, giggling.

-

“You didn't forget that we're going camping later, right?” Ned asked, over their slightly burnt scrambled eggs.

“Nope,” Nancy affirmed as she finished off her bacon. “Two days, one night, right?”

“Yeah,” Ned replied. “I got all the gear packed while you were sleeping.”

Nancy whistled. “Fast work, Nickerson.”

-

They were heading to Gebhard Woods State Park for the _real_ camping experience, tent, campfires and all, instead of "roughing it" in one of their parents' vacation cabins.

Halfway through the drive, Ned turned to her, his expression serious.

“You haven't forgotten what you said yesterday night, have you?”

“I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, darling.” Nancy batted her eyelashes at him as she slowly ran her palm down his thigh, and Ned stiffened when her fingertips brushed dangerously near his crotch.    


“No idea at all,” Ned repeated, chuckling darkly as he made a left.

“Uh huh.” Nancy smiled sweetly as she rested her hand on his zipper, the bulge under his pants growing noticeably.

“So are you going to suck me off or what,” Ned asked, as he nudged her hand aside and unzipped his pants, freeing his erection, his eyes still on the road.

“Baby, you'd drive straight into the ditch,” Nancy scoffed as she palmed him experimentally, smirking when his hips jerked up slightly. The car's engine growled as the movement made him inadvertently press the gas pedal a little harder.

“Try me,” Ned replied as he took his eyes off the road momentarily to gaze at her.

Nancy shook her head as she leaned back into her seat. “Don't want us to crash. This is _not_ safe sex.”

Ned groaned as he intentionally pressed harder on the gas pedal, and Nancy had to laugh. The sight of him sitting there, with his erection sticking out, standing tall and flushed, was pretty hilarious.

“You know, it gets cold. And I can't fucking zip back up,” Ned complained. “Stop laughing! I'm going to fuck you twice as hard later.”

Nancy shifted in her seat, laughing harder as she tucked her knees under her chin, peering at him from under her eyelashes.

“God, you're so damn cute.”

Ned scowled at her.

-

When they pulled up in the parking lot, Nancy's gaze dropped to his crotch.

“Don't touch me,” Ned growled at her as he attempted to zip back up. “Or I'm going to fuck you on the hood of this car with everyone watching.”

“No thanks,” Nancy laughed as she climbed out of the car and watched Ned lug their gear out of the boot.

“We're going fishing too?” Nancy asked curiously as she took the fishing rods Ned handed over to her.

“You have to eat,” Ned teased her, and Nancy swatted at him.

“ _You_ have to eat.”

“Truce,” Ned called, as he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “Love you baby.”

Nancy broke the kiss and grinned up at him. “Now, much as I love you too baby, I'd rather you set the tent up first. It looks like it's going to rain soon and I don't think I want to get soaking wet in anything other than my bathing suit. “

-

The sky looked ominous but Nancy changed into her bathing suit anyway. It was her usual bandeau bikini; Ned had seen her in it a million times already, but she loved the way his eyes lit up every time he saw it.

For his part, he just pulled down his trousers and took off his shirt. When Nancy raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged it off.

She took off first, running down the deck, feeling the wood burning her feet slightly, the sun beating down on her back, and she felt _young_ again, felt like she was eighteen again, back when they used to come here, Bess, George and all.

Ned caught up with her before she reached the edge, but then again she had expected him to – he wasn't Emerson's star quarterback for nothing. He grabbed her hand and together they jumped into the lake, and she screamed when the icy cold water hit her skin.

Spluttering, she broke the surface, Ned behind her, and she grinned at him as they treaded water. God, she had forgotten how much fun she used to have at this place.

“Race you to the far end!” Nancy called. She took off with powerful strokes as Ned lagged behind.

“Not fair!” Ned protested, and when he caught up with her, she squealed as he looped his arm around her and pulled her to him. They were at the shallower end of the lake, a particular spot where the reeds were sparser and Ned could just barely plant his feet on the ground. Nancy wrapped her legs around him and he floundered a little, until his foot found firmer ground.

He tilted his face up and she obliged, as she leaned down to kiss him, soft and sweet at first before he deepened it, his arms tight around her. He tasted sweet, like the M&M's he had eaten when they reached here, and salty, like the lake water.

When she pulled back, panting a little, he was smiling up at her, and she was momentarily speechless at the love that was shining through. Speechless at how _she_ could possibly have something like this. If someone had told her when she was fifteen, after her breakup with Don, that she would one day have such happiness, such love, such _completeness_ in her life, she would have scorned that person and walked the other way.

“You are everything to me,” she whispered, as her thumb gently traced his eyebrow. “I don't think I'll ever say this enough but I love you so, _so_ much.”

“Baby,” Ned breathed, as he shifted her in his arms, and she wasn't imagining it when her ass brushed against his cock. He was already hard. “It's going to rain. Let's go back.”

They swam to the edge and Ned boosted her up, taking the opportunity to grab her ass. She whipped her head around and shot him a glare as he grinned back at her. When he pushed himself out of the lake , water streaming from his body, his biceps rippling, she couldn't help thinking that she must have the most incredible luck in the world, to score someone as perfect as him.

“What,” Ned asked, his lips quirking up slightly as he caught her staring at her.

“Nothing,” Nancy dismissed it, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. “Just thinking how lucky I am to have you.”

He ducked his head at that, and then he took her hand so that they were walking along the path holding hands, just like in the old days.

“There was a time when you didn't think so,” Ned said softly, and Nancy shot a quick glance at him, her heart sinking slightly. She hadn't meant to dampen his mood.

“I don't deserve you,” Nancy replied, equally softly, her head bowed. The flash of her wedding ring caught her eye, as if to mock her.

“That's what _you_ think,” Ned answered, as he stopped in the middle of the path. “Do you want to know what _I_ think?” he asked, bending down a little to peer at her.

Nancy nodded, her goosebumps already showing on her skin. She couldn't help it when her gaze drifted back down to below his navel, to where his cock was straining against his boxers.

He caught her looking and he chuckled as he crooked a finger under her chin to force her to meet his gaze. 

“I think that you're the most gorgeous, most perfect, most beautiful woman I've ever known and I think that I love you, and that I will never stop loving you, and that you should stop doubting yourself, stop thinking that there will be a day where I will stop wanting you. I think that you look fucking amazing in your bikini and I also think that you're wet in every single aspect of that word because you've been staring at my cock since we left our house. And _so_ , I think that right now, we should get back to that tent and stop talking and start fucking.”

Nancy looked up at him in surprise at the end and she saw that his eyes were dancing, as he took her hand again.

She shook her head. “I'd never doubt you.”

Ned smiled. “And you have no reason to,” he added lightly as he tugged on her hand to increase their pace.

“Did you think about this all the times we were here?” Nancy asked, and Ned looked over at her.

“Think about what?”

“I don't know... Having sex? Like in the cabin. Like we go for a swim and then come up and make love.”

Ned nodded. “Do you know how hot you look in that swimsuit of yours?”

Nancy looked down. “I've been wearing it for years.”

“Yeah. _Years._ Years of teasing me, making me want you _so bad_ but then I can't do anything because Bess and George are around or because my parents are next door. God, I can't even stuff my hand in _my_ pants and jack off.”

Nancy giggled. “Thank you for being the perfect gentleman.”

“Yeah,” Ned agreed, bowing a little. “I feel like I need extra credit for keeping it under check. But then again, I didn't really like the idea of freaking them out with my dick.”

“Definitely don't want that,” Nancy agreed solemnly. “It's huge but it's nothing particularly beautiful,” she added, laughter in her voice as she dropped his hand and made a mad dash to their tent.

“Say that again,” Ned called, as he chased after her, and he grunted when he caught up with her, her struggling and squirming against his grip.

“Say you don't like my cock,” Ned insisted as he thrust against her, her back to his front, and he had boosted her so that if she wanted to, she could rub herself against his full length.

“I can't,” Nancy moaned out as she bucked down against him, as his cock brushed against the cleft of her ass. “You use it too well,” she moaned and Ned released her, smirking, apparently satisfied.

“That's what I like to hear.”

“Well, it's not like I have anyone to compare to...” Nancy trailed off as Ned advanced towards her menacingly. She ducked into their tent, her palms held out in surrender.

Ned laughed when he backed her into the very end of the tent, before he attacked her viciously, going for her ribs.

“No! Wait, stop, _please_!” Nancy gasped out, as he tickled her mercilessly. She tripped against their duffel bag and landed on her ass, on the sleeping bag.

When she looked up, she found that she was at the perfect height to give him a blowjob, and Ned jerked when she stroked him expectantly.

“Truce?” she asked, one eyebrow raised, as she carefully, slowly pulled down his wet boxers, watching his erection spring out.

“Only if you suck me off,” Ned said as he stepped out of them. Nancy rolled her eyes at him and sighed.

“How unromantic.”

Ned stuck out his tongue at her as he pulled her up to her feet.

“Might want to pull out the sleeping bag first?” he asked as he started tugging the bag out of its cover. When he had laid it flat on the ground, he turned back around to see Nancy standing naked in front of him, her swimsuit abandoned on the ground beside her.

“Mhm, that's what I like,” Ned murmured appreciatively as he stuck out his hand to pull her down to lie beside him.

“Do you know how many times I wanted to just find some excuse to get Bess and George out of the way so I could coax you out of that damn swimsuit?”

“So we could have mind-blowing sex?”

“Yeah,” Ned replied seriously and Nancy punched him lightly.

“We weren't even having sex back then.”

“I don't know how I lasted that long,” Ned answered, his face scrunched up.“Maybe because I didn't know what it was like.”

“Virgin,” Nancy teased him and Ned growled as he leaned down to kiss her hard, his knee nudging her legs apart as his fingers brushed against her clit. She arched into his touch and he chuckled, as he shoved one finger up and she moaned mid-kiss.

She opened her legs wider to give him better access and when he pushed another finger in and gave her clit a hard flick, she writhed, groaning.

“You look so damn hot, baby,” Ned told her as he fucked her faster with his fingers until she was panting his name, her eyes squeezed shut.

“Please,” she forced out, her hips bucking, as she planted her feet onto the ground and tried to fuck him back.

“Please what,” Ned asked, and she made an exasperated noise at how calm he sounded.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she ground out, as he took her clit between his thumb and forefinger and lightly squeezed it, before twisting it slightly. She gasped, her hips arching off the ground as she sought to grind harder against him. When he pulled his fingers out, she opened her eyes, utterly disappointed. When she saw him stroking himself with his fingers slick with her juice, she let herself fall back onto the slight cushion of the sleeping bag, her hips already gyrating a little in anticipation.

He settled on top of her, their hips aligned, and her legs fell open when he fitted himself just inside her. He slowly pushed in, and her eyes rolled back with pleasure as he let out a little tiny groan. He pulled back out before he sank fully into her and she opened her eyes again, her hands cupping his ass, trying to get him to go deeper.

He kept teasing her with short, light strokes and no matter how she moved her hips, how she tried to push against him, he would always pull back, never quite filling her entirely.

“ _Ned,_ ” Nancy cried out, as he stayed motionless inside her, his thumb rubbing against her clit until she was coming, her inner walls tightening against him. He groaned and clenched his teeth as she contracted, squeezed at his cock, and after she was still shivering with the aftershocks, he sheathed himself fully into her, in one quick thrust and she cried out, as her flesh _burned_. She was so fucking sensitive and when he sank fully into her, thrusting quickly into her, once, twice, thrice, she screamed out loud at the sensation, as her nerves tingled.

“Fuck,” she sobbed, almost crying out in relief as Ned pulled out of her and her legs fell limply onto the mat.

Then he was rolling her onto her side, so that her back was to his front, and then he lifted and bent her knee and she tensed when she felt his cock brush against her ass, _was he_...? No, he wasn't, at least not today, as he positioned his cock at her entrance, and pushed swiftly back into her, and she was so wet, she could hear the sound of their joining, hear him sliding out of her for another thrust. He shifted slightly behind her so that their bodies were perfectly lined up, and when he fucked her, his hand grasped her breast and she sobbed her delight when he pinched her nipple, as it sent electric waves right down to her clit.

When his hand crept downwards she cried out, and then he was fucking her harder, his balls slapping against her ass, and she screamed when he brought her to the very edge, screamed when the wave crashed over her, as she writhed in his arms, her feet scrabbling for purchase against the mat, her hand clawing away at his bicep as she ground back against him, as she tried to push him deeper into her, crying out as Ned arched and buried himself fully inside her, groaning with his release.

“Fuck,” she commented after she got her breath back, and Ned chuckled as he pulled out of her.

“You were so hot right at the end, baby,” Ned told her as he kissed her temple, and brushed aside her sweaty hair.

“Mmmhm,” Nancy agreed as she rolled back onto her back and stretched.

“Now the sleeping bag smells like sex.” Nancy looked at Ned. “Tacky.”

“Maybe we should just pack up and go home,” Nancy suggested hopefully as her legs moved restlessly over the sleeping bag.

Ned's gaze immediately fell back to the join of her thighs before he looked back up to her face.

“But we were supposed to go camping,” Ned protested.

Nancy tilted her head slightly. “Well, we could... But you know how I am. Any second now, some half-naked man is going to come stumbling into our tent with blood streaming from his wounds and beg me to take his case. _Or_ we could pack our stuff and go back home. This whole _tent_ smells like sex.” Nancy looked up at him and wrinkled her nose.

“We could go fish a little before we go home,” Nancy cajoled as she sat up and stroked his arm, before pressing a kiss to his lips. “So it wouldn't be such a waste to drive all the way down here.”

“Only if we have sex again tonight,” Ned bargained as Nancy pretended to weigh her options.

“Stay here and potentially have a case to solve or go home and have more sex. Hmm, I don't know.”

Ned shrugged. “You _know_ we're still going to have sex even if we stay here.”

“But our bed's more comfortable,” Nancy pointed out.

Ned chuckled. “Nympho.”

Nancy grinned wickedly. “Right back at you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by ndnickerson.

Nancy looked around the bedroom, a soft smile playing over her lips. Ned would probably be expecting it—almost certainly _would_ be—but today was their real anniversary. They were waiting until Saturday night to go out, had reservations already made and everything, but as Ned had told her many, many times, he preferred to make five sets of plans and have two fall through when it came to her. Given her track record when it came to making reservations on time, although that was never _—almost_ never—her fault, he had a point.

So she was just making a plan.

She opened the shopping bag, then shook her head and made herself wait. She gathered up the dirty clothes and dumped them in the hamper, changed the sheets, took off her glowing makeup and _then_ dumped out the contents of the bag.

Bess joked that Nancy's lingerie budget could probably power all the houses in her neighborhood. Nancy knew that Ned didn't really mind _what_ she was wearing, but she couldn't help it. For so long, while they were dating, she and Ned had drawn back when she had just wanted so much for him to make love to her, and wearing lingerie meant specifically for him, meant specifically to drive him crazy, after so long, filled her with an almost wicked delight. Just the act of putting on the right nightgown was almost enough to make her wet with anticipation of his touch.

She took her clothes off quickly, then scrutinized herself in the mirror, studying the faint marks left by her pantyhose and skirt. She frowned at her breasts and smoothed her hands impatiently over her hips. Ned had no qualms about practically worshipping her naked body, but she still saw imperfection, had always seen imperfection there.

She put on the black satin thong and had just ripped open the package containing the stockings when her cell phone rang. She smiled at the display. "Are you telepathic?"

Ned chuckled. "I think you'd know by now, if I were. Look, we're just about to start the conference call, and I'll let you know when I'm in the car, okay?"

Nancy looked down at the rest of her outfit, spread out over the coverlet. "Sure. Grilled chicken for dinner?"

"That, or I can just rip whatever you're wearing right now off with my teeth."

"Wouldn't take long," Nancy chuckled, and Ned groaned. "I'll put it on the grill when you call, then. Happy anniversary, baby."

"Happy anniversary." Ned's voice dropped low and husky. "How about you send me a pic of what you're wearing right now to tide me over."

"Mostly because I want to see your face when you see me in it. Behave. And hurry home."

Nancy was pretty sure that she should wait, but she couldn't resist it. She slipped on the stockings, then carefully fastened each hook on the corset, all the way up the front. She would ask Ned to unlace it at the back, though... unless he was too impatient. The hooks were small and difficult, though, so either way he'd be in for a time.

Although, knowing her husband, he would just bend her over something without even bothering to take the corset off.

The grill was preheating. She had just tied the apron around her waist and pulled the chicken out of the fridge when her phone rang.

Her work phone, not her personal cell.

Frowning, Nancy dug in her purse. "Nancy Drew."

"Ms. Drew? This is Connor, I'm calling from LLS. Would it be possible for you to come in to the office tonight? Immediately?"

Nancy paused, glancing over at the chicken. "What is this regarding?"

"I can't say for sure. My boss, Thomas Finch, asked me to call. It's something extremely delicate which can't wait for the morning, he told me."

"Could I speak to him now?"

"He's on another call. It's very urgent."

And then she heard it. A soft sound.

"Ms. Drew? Are you going to be able—"

"Yes," Nancy said with a little sigh.

"I'll meet you at the door. Thank you so much for doing this."

Nancy hung up the phone and put the chicken back in the fridge, then unplugged the grill. She took her apron off and glanced down at her outfit. If Eric had called her, she would have immediately changed out of her outfit, into her loosest pair of jeans and a sweatshirt despite the warm night, but the corset was going to be a bitch to take off. She carefully took the stockings off, pulled on a pair of jeans, and found a dark Emerson t-shirt.

She called Ned as she was locking the door, but his voicemail picked up—of course. He was still on the conference call. "Hey babe," she said, already cringing a little. "Look, I got a call, but it shouldn't take long. It's at LLS. Maybe we can just grab some dinner downtown after. Call me—call me when you get this. I... I don't know what they're calling me for, and... I'm just a... I don't know. I'm sure it's fine, since it wasn't Eric on the phone. But yes, call me."

Nancy kept waiting for him to call as she drove downtown, but her phone didn't ring. She parked outside LLS and strode briskly toward the building. A man in a suit was pacing just inside the lobby.

"Ms. Drew?"

"Yes," Nancy said, noticing that the night security guard was away from his desk. She glanced at Connor. "So Mr. Finch is waiting?"

Connor blinked once. "Yes," he said, turning toward the elevator bank. His breath smelled like spearmint.

And there was alcohol underneath, faintly.

Nancy reached into her purse and quickly navigated to the right menu on her phone as she followed Connor to the elevators. Maybe he had been out having a drink with the guys when his boss had called him back in. Maybe.

God, she hoped Ned checked his voicemail soon.

\--

Ned didn't see that he had a message waiting until he pulled out his phone to call his wife, when he was just sliding into his car. He heaved a massive sigh, irritated when he listened to the voicemail. Well, having dinner in the city wasn't all bad; at least there wouldn't be anything to clean... but he also couldn't just carry her to the couch and rip her clothes off, either.

But her voice. Something about her voice.

He called her cell phone, but there was no answer. Called her work phone, and that immediately went to voicemail.

By then he was practically at their usual wine shop. They probably had a bottle of wine still, although it would suck to celebrate their anniversary without one. But they were going out Saturday. He shrugged to himself and passed it by.

He would just drive by LLS and make sure she wasn't still there. It was strange, for her to leave her phone off, especially since she had asked him to call.

Ten minutes later he was in front of LLS, and he spotted her car.

It was only then that the pit of dread in his stomach solidified.

_Eric._

She had said Eric hadn't called her, but remembering the way that guy had tried to put his hands on her, remembering the look on his face, was enough to make Ned's blood boil. He wouldn't put it past the guy to be "staying late" too, to just happen to wander in.

Nancy could handle herself. Ned knew that. But that thought didn't untangle the knot in his stomach.

He locked the car, pocketed the keys and strode into the lobby. A night security guard was behind the desk, and he gestured for Ned to sign in.

"Which floor for LLS?" Ned asked casually. He didn't see his wife's signature. The knot tightened a little more.

"Seven through nine," the guard replied, and hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the elevators.

Ned wasn't optimistic, but when he got off the elevator car at the seventh floor, he saw a dim glow behind the glass doors. He knocked hard, reaching into his pocket, and pulled out a business card. After a full minute went by with no answer, Ned turned, ready to try the next floor. Then he saw a flash of someone in a suit.

Ned banged on the glass again. "Hey!" he called, waving the card in his hand.

Glancing back over his shoulder, the man strode to the glass doors, unlocking them with a twist. "We're closed," he said tightly.

"I know, I know. I just need to find—shit, I don't know how to pronounce his name—"

"Well, I know I can't help you," the man said, peering at the card anyway. "I'm about to leave, and—"

Ned gently pushed the door open with his shoulder, as the other man took the card, a scowl on his face. Slowly Ned pulled his fist back, and when the other man glanced back up, his lips pursed to speak, Ned caught him hard, square on the jaw. The man swayed on his feet, emitting a sharp grunt of surprise, and in an instant Ned was inside, and the man was in a sleeper hold.

From one of the offices, Ned heard a crash.

The man struggled, but Ned's sleeper holds were unbreakable. As soon as he went limp, Ned let him drop unceremoniously to the ground, plucking the business card from the unresponsive fingers. He debated whether to lock the door behind him, but if he needed to call for help, it wouldn't do to have another barrier between them.

His jaw set, Ned strode quietly in the direction of the crash.

Part of him had _known_ who he would see there, and he was disappointed to find that he was right.

Through the space between the door and the frame, Ned could see one man on the floor cradling his jaw. He shifted his gaze and felt himself choke with rage.

Nancy was sprawled over a desk, a rag stuffed in her mouth, her wrists pinned by Eric and a man Ned didn't recognize. Eric had his hips between Nancy's legs, and while she was struggling hard, her blue eyes blazing, Eric was digging his fingers hard into her hip. Ned could see how deep Eric's fingers were against her flesh.

"Just _relax_ ," Eric spat at her. "Jerome, get your ass back over here."

Jerome began to struggle to his feet, but Eric and the other man were distracted when Nancy pulled a knee back and, quick as lightning, drove her heel into the pit of Eric's stomach. Eric's fingers dug into Nancy's wrist as he wheezed out his breath, and she gasped and coughed through the gag as the other man slapped her.

Ned took advantage of the opening to slip into the room and tap Jerome on the shoulder. "Connor," Jerome began as he turned, "what took you—"

Ned drove his fist hard into Jerome's jaw, and heard the satisfying crunch of bone upon impact. Jerome crumpled to the floor and Ned directed a hard kick at his ribs as Nancy kicked Eric hard again. He bellowed with rage, grabbing for her leg, and she grabbed the other man's wrist, jabbing her knee into his ribs.

Eric glanced up, and Ned saw that his belt was unbuckled, that Nancy's jeans were open and unzipped.

Everything in him went calm and deadly quiet.

"You—"

Ned reached Eric, ducking down and lifting him, his muscles trembling with rage, as Nancy whipped up and ripped the gag out of her mouth, slapping the man who had been restraining her. "Bitch," he hissed, lunging for her, and at the last second she dropped back, using his momentum to send him tumbling over the other side of the desk. His flailing foot caught a desk lamp and sent it crashing to the floor, along with the calculator that had alerted Ned to Nancy's location.

Eric was drunk. Ned couldn't have cared less.

He tackled Eric into the far wall, pleased when the other man's head rebounded off the corner of a framed diploma, sending it crashing to the floor. He was _glad_ when he saw the look of rage on Eric's face.

"You," Eric hissed.

"Yeah," Ned said, and was surprised to hear his own voice. It sounded choked, muddy. "Her _husband_."

Eric brought a knee up, and Ned barely felt it as he maneuvered away, barely felt the punch the other man directed at his face. He scrabbled until he had Eric's wrists pinned, then looked back. Nancy was standing beside the desk, panting, her jeans rezipped and buttoned. Her hair was half pulled down and a red handprint was visible on her cheek.

At his glance, she leaned down and picked the office phone up. "I need the police," she said.

Ned turned his attention back to Eric. "I guess subtlety just doesn't work on you, asshole. So how about this."

He released Eric, and although Eric immediately lashed out, trying to dart around Ned to get to Nancy, to stop her from making the call, Ned caught him with a hard uppercut. He slammed his foot down on the other man's instep and Eric half-managed to drive the heel of his hand into Ned's windpipe, until Ned grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the wall again.

"You will _keep_ your _fucking_ hands off my wife," Ned said, emphasizing every word with a shake of the other man's shoulders. "And if you come within a hundred feet of her, _ever again_ , for _any reason_ whatsoever, I will fucking _end you._ "

Eric's eyes blazed with rage and the drink as he lashed out again, and Ned took great pleasure in maneuvering him into the sleeper hold. As soon as he had passed out, Ned let him drop to the floor, noticing but not really caring when his head hit the wall.

He turned around and Nancy was off the phone. "They'll be here soon," she said, and reached up to touch her lip. Her finger came away smeared with blood.

"Are you okay?"

Nancy shrugged. "Yeah," she said, in a way that meant she wasn't. She went over to her purse and pulled out her phone.

"I was wondering why you didn't answer."

She showed him the display on her screen before she stopped the voice recording. "Just... needed some insurance," she said tonelessly.

The statement took longer than Ned wanted; the police took pictures of Nancy's wounds and bruises, and she let them listen to the recording, cutting it off before Ned's death threat against Eric. When they asked if she wanted to charge the four men, Ned almost snorted. Even if she didn't, he would.

As soon as the cops said they could go, Ned went over to Nancy, sliding his arm around her waist. "Hey," he said softly, holding her to him as they walked to the elevator. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to go home," she said softly.

\--

She saw a smear of blood on her knuckles.

Ned's car had been in her rearview the entire way home, and as he pulled into the garage she walked inside, fighting through the nervousness in her belly, flipped the lights on, and ripped her shirt off. Her muscles protested a little as she raced up the stairs.

Ned was carrying a bag of fast food when he found her, sitting naked on the closed commode, waiting for the water to get warm in the shower.

"Nan," he said softly.

She glanced up at him, and she was shaking, though not from any chill. Her teeth were chattering. He put the food down on their dresser and loosened his tie. When she stepped into the shower a few minutes later, he was behind her.

Every time she closed her eyes, she could see it, Eric's flushed face and hot eyes. Could feel his fingers digging into her wrist, feel the gag thick and hot in her mouth.

His _fingers_.

Ned said her name, softly, again, and she turned around. He had heard it all, her statement to the officers and the recording she had made. He _knew_ , knew that the four of them had overpowered her, dragged her to the desk. That while she had fought for all she was worth, sending both Jerome and Connor crashing to the floor, Eric had managed to open her pants, slide his hand inside. Growl that he loved how hot she was, for him.

Anger choked her, anger that she hadn't quite been able to fight them off, that she hadn't seen what they were going to do, that she hadn't listened to her instincts. That if Ned had been even a few minutes later—and oh, it would have been her fault—she didn't know how far Eric would have gotten.

Ned reached for her, cautiously, and she stepped into the comfort of his arms. He hugged her hard to him and she buried her face against his shoulder, as the water beat down on them.

He rubbed her back. "You okay?" he murmured.

She squeezed her eyes tight shut and shook her head. "I just need a minute," she said. "I just—their _hands_ —"

He dropped a kiss on her temple. "Tell me what to do," he said softly, but she had no answer.

After their shower she wrapped herself in a bath towel, then went through her lingerie drawer. Ned was looking at the corset and thong she had left at the foot of their bed.

He glanced up at her. "For me," he said, and it wasn't a question.

Nancy nodded, pulling out a plain white bra and faded panties. An oversized shirt followed.

"You hungry?" Ned proffered a hamburger, and Nancy shook her head. "Babe, you have to eat. You didn't have any dinner."

Reluctantly she took the food, thanking him quietly. She wasn't sure how she finished it, but once she was done, she blow-dried her hair. Ned was gone when she walked back into their bedroom, and she almost wanted to shout for him. Instead she picked up the corset and thong with the tips of her fingers and threw them into the laundry hamper. Maybe she would be able to look at them one day without shuddering. She hoped so, considering how much the corset had cost.

Ned had disposed of the trash when he came back, and after he brushed his teeth, he turned the lights off and slipped into bed with her. She glanced at the alarm clock and was shocked to see how much time had passed, and how little.

Ned reached for her, and she swallowed as she scooted over toward him. He pulled her to his side and she nestled against his shoulder.

He stroked her hair back. "Baby, I'm so sorry."

Her face crumpled and she buried her face against him, her knees tight together. "If you hadn't—"

He drew her to him, into the safety of his arms. "It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."

She trembled. "It was for you," she whispered. "And he put his _hands_ on me and— oh God, Ned. I wanted to look pretty for you, and then he..."

"I know," he murmured. "To me, baby, you'd look gorgeous in a burlap sack."

Despite herself, she giggled a little. "I was so happy when you punched him in the face," she admitted.

"Me too," Ned growled. "He was begging for it. If I could have, Nan, I would have broken him in _half_ right in front of you, for what he did. For what he tried to do. And if you ever see him again..."

She nodded. "Yeah," she said softly. "Thank you. Thank you for coming for me."

He kissed her forehead. "I will _always_ come for you," he told her, fiercely. " _Always._ "

He rubbed her back and she relaxed, slowly. Then she sucked in a breath. "God. It's our damn anniversary."

"Yeah," Ned said. "It is. At least there will never be another anniversary like this one."

"God, I hope so," she said, and shivered. Then she pushed back to look him in the face. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, and brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. "So much, Nan. I'd lose my mind if anything happened to you."

She kissed him softly. "Same here," she murmured.

\--

He didn't mean anything by it. While he was knotting his tie, he idly asked her who had been on the phone when she had scrambled to answer it at 7 o'clock that morning, walking out of their bedroom and into the hallway, her murmured voice indistinct.

She was smoothing concealer over the discoloration on her cheek, the handprint, and Ned's jaw tightened. "Barnes," she answered, keeping her gaze on her reflection, not even glancing over at her husband. "Lunch meeting."

"Barnes?" The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Until—

"LLS," she said, scrubbing a tissue over her fingers to wipe the makeup off.

Ned felt that calm, that strange calm that stole over him when he was angry, under intense stress, high with adrenaline. "You aren't going over there."

She turned to him and blinked. "What?"

Ned, barefoot, his jacket still on the hanger, crossed to the bathroom threshold and just stood there, gazing steadily at her. "You aren't going over there."

Nancy's jaw tightened. "Despite what we occasionally do in bed," she said, her voice hard, "you aren't my keeper. I have to meet with Barnes to discuss what happened last night."

"And if he offers you another job, you'll just what, take it?" Ned was fuming.

Nancy put her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing. "Eric's _out_. There's no way he'll still be there—"

"Not unless he lawyers up and manages to get it thrown out as a _misunderstanding_ , and then—"

Nancy waved her hand impatiently, her brow furrowed. "Whatever else, he won't be there _today_ ," she said. "What, do you want to go there with me?"

"Yes," Ned answered immediately, folding his arms.

She sighed. "And what? Be my personal bodyguard for the rest of my life? Insist that I wear a space suit wherever I go just to keep anyone from looking at me? Or, better yet, insist that I get out of this line of work, because that would just fucking solve everything."

"That's not what I said—"

"You didn't _have_ to say it!" She was shouting, her fingers trembling a little. " _Fuck._ If I'd known you were going to be like this—"

Ned crossed the few steps between them and grasped her by the upper arms. "How the fuck am I _supposed_ to feel when I walk into a fucking office building and see three guys holding you down on a desk, ready to fucking _rape you_ , Nan? I'm just supposed to walk away from that?"

"Because I'm _yours_ ," she retorted, and her lips were trembling. "Because they had their hands on what was _yours_."

Ned shook his head. "Thirty percent of it, yeah," he admitted, and she shook her head, almost sneering. "Seventy percent because I can't imagine how fucking terrifying that must have been for you. I've never really been afraid of someone physically overpowering me, not in a fair fight, and you—Nan, you fucking _knew_ something was probably wrong and you walked in anyway and one day it's going to be the wrong place and the wrong time—"

She shook her head. "So it was my fault."

Ned let out an angry, frustrated groan. "That's _not_ what I said."

"Get out." His grip tightened on her, and she shook him off angrily. "Get the fuck _out_ ," she shouted at him.

Ned was late for work, because their argument just got worse and he couldn't let it go. During his entire drive into the city he imagined her walking into that meeting, only to be fucking ambushed. Because if Eric got a good enough lawyer and managed to beat the charge, if he pled to his boss that he had just been drunk and irresponsible— Ned had seen it happen, knew how easily it could happen.

Eric would be smarter next time. And angrier. She wouldn't escape with bruises she could just cover up with makeup, that time.

And to her, his worry was just jealousy, stupid jealousy.

Ned slammed his hand into the steering wheel. Damn her. _Damn her._

Every now and then he convinced himself that she was _his._ But she wasn't, not really, and never would be.

\--

Nancy knew that the usual routine at Ned's work was simple and started just before quitting time Friday. A big group of the guys headed to the bar down the street, ordering nachos or wings for dinner instead of anything more substantial, just eating enough to keep the alcohol soaked up. The taphouse carried draft and craft beers, and from there it was an easy walk to three clubs and half a dozen bars. At two o'clock they headed home, making plans to hit the bars again Saturday night.

Ned went along, sometimes, when she was out of town. She had heard the pounding beat, the din of voices, when she had called him from Hong Kong or London, had teased him about using protection with those skanky club girls. Had come into one of those very bars after him, but she didn't let herself think about that just then.

He wasn't home at seven o'clock, and she was still too angry to call him herself.

She had told Barnes, unequivocally, that if he needed the services of a private investigator, while she would thoroughly explain the circumstances to those who needed to know, she would not take the job, regardless of the outcome with Eric. She had told Barnes about Eric's persistent and inappropriate behavior, explaining that while she had been able to blame all his comments and unwanted contact on alcohol abuse, their last encounter had left her positive that he was a danger to her.

Barnes, to his credit, apologized profusely, expressed disgust over Eric's behavior. But of course he would. Nancy had seen the three guys Eric had roped into his little scheme; all of them worked with him. Connor had seemed a little reluctant, but that in no way absolved him of responsibility; he had made the call that had lured her there. In a way she almost hated him the most, because he had clearly realized that what they were doing was wrong, but it hadn't been enough to stop him.

Nancy knew she should feel some sense of victory, of happiness, but as she sat in front of the television, her thumb stabbing at the remote as the shows flashed by her unseeing eyes, she just felt angry, and she would be _damned_ if she called her husband.

How could he not see? She _hated_ fucking ultimatums, _hated_ him telling her what she could and couldn't do. She had survived for so long with only occasional help, and the thought of him so jealous and possessive, angry because oh, they had violated his _wife. His_ wife.

But it hadn't quite been like that.

Nancy shook her head angrily, and picked up her cell phone. "I need to get out of the fucking house," she told Bess, her voice tight, when her best friend picked up.

An hour later, Nancy, Bess, and George slid onto barstools in the crowded Linq martini bar. Nancy wore an off-the-shoulder ruby-colored dress embellished with a million sequins. Bess wore a halter dress in clinging champagne-colored satin. George wore a black leather micromini paired with a loose-fitting turquoise blouse, and was shooting daggers at her cousin as she slid onto the stool.

"I _told_ you that would look fantastic on you," Bess said, ignoring George's glare as she accepted a menu from the bartender. She gave it a cursory glance, then said, "Oh, whatever's on special."

"You really do look amazing, George," Nancy told her.

George's frown deepened. "Yeah, and if I tilt forward _at all_ , any guy here could see my ass."

Bess giggled. "Isn't that half the fun?"

The laughter and drunken carousing of the patrons around them only grew louder, and once Nancy had finished her first martini, she leaned over to get the cousins' attention. "So Ned's being a total asshole."

"Isn't that always how it is," George said, arching an eyebrow. "Fantastic sex on the anniversary—it _was_ just your anniversary, right?"

"Yeah," Nancy admitted.

"Fantastic sex and then huge fight. Followed by more fantastic sex as soon as he apologizes." George gave an exaggerated nod.

"Yeah—except there _was_ no fantastic sex on the anniversary," Nancy told her friends. In brief strokes she explained what had happened on their actual anniversary, and while she was intentionally vague about the worst of it, her friends had known her too long.

"So," Bess said, interrupting her, "you're saying that when Ned walked in, these guys were all basically on the ground."

"Well, one of them."

"Which left two."

"Yeah..."

"So you're mad at him for saving you," George pointed out before taking another sip of her drink.

"I'm mad at him for wanting to control me—"

Bess's brows knit together. "Which, _how_? What?"

Nancy blamed her tripping tongue on the alcohol. She tried to explain, but Bess and George just looked more skeptical. "Oh, fuck it," she finally said, "I _know_ he wants me to stop doing this."

Bess rolled her eyes. "Of course he does."

"What?" Nancy said angrily.

"What guy would want his wife out trying to take down bad guys with, what, basically a swiss army knife?" George pointed out.

"And, plus, I mean... you're Ned. You walk in and see him with this girl—"

"But it wouldn't—" Nancy began.

"Shut _up_ and listen," Bess said, shaking her finger. "You walk in and this girl he's _told you_ has been making moves on him, has two guys pinning him down while she's feeling him up. But oh, no, you have no right to be angry."

"And it's not like this is the first time something like this has ever happened," George said, a little more quietly.

Nancy shivered, frowning. They didn't talk about it much—they didn't have to and she didn't like thinking about it much—but they knew about the personal assistant, the wannabe mobster. How close it had been, how awful. The way their touch had made her feel dirty. How hard it was to lose herself in Ned's arms after that, when all of her felt like screaming.

She had been so defensive because part of her had _wanted_ him to forbid her from going back there. Some small scared part of her that she kept muffled most of the time had wanted it, had wanted him to pull her into his arms and whisper that she would be all right, like a child, that all she had to do was turn her control over to him, to let him handle it.

But that _wasn't_ who she was, and Ned knew it. He hadn't wanted her to go back—and she herself hadn't wanted to walk through those doors, hadn't wanted any reminder of what had happened the night before.

And it _would_ happen again, even if it wasn't Eric. They both knew it.

And he hadn't forbid her, hadn't told her no, not the way she had expected. They both knew that she would never stop resenting him if he ever said it, if he _forbid_ her from doing what she loved.

The bartender brought over her next drink and Nancy downed half in a long gulp.

Once they were thoroughly buzzed, Bess grabbed Nancy's cell phone from the bartop. "Has he called? Anything? _God._ He's fucking stubborn, isn't he."

Nancy nodded. "He's angry."

"He'll get over it," George said, shrugging. "He _adores_ you, Nan."

Nancy sucked in a hard breath. "I don't know how to make him happy," she said, the drink making the words slip and stumble over each other. "He—he won't—he won't be happy..."

Bess and George studied her sympathetically. "He just wants to see you safe," Bess said quietly. "We-we all do. It makes me sick to hear what happened to you. But it terrifies me that you're willing to walk right back into something like that again."

Nancy shrugged. "Somebody has to," she said, picking up her drink. "Help the people who can't."

"And can you blame Ned for being—" Bess tapped a few keys on Nancy's phone, "at Flashpoint, since he knows that just as well as we do?"

"He's where?" Nancy grabbed her phone. Bess had activated the proximity locator, and since Ned was nearby, his phone's location was showing up.

"So why don't we just head over there," Bess suggested, sliding off her barstool, then holding onto it to keep her balance. "Because I would fucking hate for you two to miss your anniversary plans tomorrow because you're too damn stubborn to admit you're wrong."

"I'm not wrong," Nancy said staunchly. "I'm not."

"Then he's not either," George replied, sliding off her stool.

Flashpoint was crowded and hot in an already-hot summer night. The line at the bar was three-deep, and Nancy was glad she was already buzzing. Nancy, Bess, and George wove their way through the crowd, twisting their hips and maneuvering around stumbling, laughing couples and groups, and emerged on the dance floor.

In the summers, when the three of them were old enough to drink—sometimes even when they weren't quite old enough—they would drink and go to the club, after Bess did their makeup and carefully selected their outfits. Ned had told her once that the three of them dancing together was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen, but that was back before Nancy and Ned had actually slept together. Even so, Nancy had to admit, she did _feel_ sexy. She arched languorously, her fists in the air, her hair tumbled down her shoulders, her hips swaying to the beat. By the next song a few guys were lingering at the edge of their circle and it was just like those summers again, when they were free and her relationship with Ned was still a promise and an understanding, when he would cross a crowded room, his dark-eyed gaze centered on her, and sweep her into his arms—

Nancy's blue eyes opened suddenly, but Ned wasn't there, wasn't waiting with that small knowing smile on his face, for her.

But she knew he was there. She could feel him.

The alcohol sang it in her veins as she took off at the end of the song, the loose strands of her hair clinging to her sweat-slick neck and temples. With the lazy certainty of inebriation she found him at a table crowded with empty and half-empty beer bottles, a tanned blonde girl tugging playfully at his unresponsive hands, trying to urge him out onto the floor.

"Come on, baby. Let me help you forget her."

Then Ned's chin tipped up and his gaze met Nancy's, and with a single glance between them the blonde girl gave up and headed away with a pout.

Nancy walked straight up to her husband, then, ignoring the guarded expression in his eyes—their fight wasn't over, as far as he knew—and put her mouth against his ear, sensing rather than feeling him tense up a little.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, feeling him grasp and squeeze her hip in response. She reached for his other hand, taking it in both of hers.

"Dance with me."

They had taken their time, learning each other, during their engagement, their wedding night, that glorious, terrible honeymoon year, but in a way they had known each other all along. From the first time he had ever taken her in his arms for a dance, so long before, they had moved together like they were meant for nothing else. He led with quiet ease and she followed instinctually, wordlessly.

Even in a dance like this, even in a dance that had her shimmying almost down to the floor, her palms stroking playfully down his hips, they fell easily in sync. He pulled her back to her feet and she flushed a little in the dark as their bodies moved sinuously, dangerously in counterpoint, mimicking the way they moved together in bed. Her dress rode up as he pushed his knee between her legs and she ground against him, his fingers linked around her wrists to hold her hands aloft, and she tossed her hair back, her moan swallowed in the music, her clit rubbing against him through her panties.

Ned's eyes were dark, almost hooded with desire, when she tipped her chin back down. He released her hands to grab her hips and she swallowed the burst of panic, but this was Ned, not Eric, and God, was she wet.

"Get a _room_ , you two," Nancy heard over the music, and she rolled her eyes as Bess and George danced close to them. She moved back a little, for decency's sake, but Ned kept a hard grip on her hips.

"You two okay?" George asked, glancing between the two of them. Her long, lean body moved in perfect counterpoint to the beat, her hips swaying. " _God,_ I love this song."

Nancy looked at Ned. "I think we're good," Ned said. "Although I think I'm getting tired." He let his hand drift meaningfully over her ass.

They stayed for two more songs, and by the end of the second one, he had swung around with her until they were off the floor entirely, in a shadowed alcove. He picked her up and she hooked one leg around him, her blue eyes steady on his as he ground his hips against hers, and _fuck_ , every stroke rubbed against her clit and she shuddered, writhing and bucking against him.

"If you don't stop—"

"If I don't stop _I'm_ going to lose control," Ned said wryly as Nancy tilted her head back, gasping. "You are _so_ fucking hot."

They said their goodbyes to Bess and George, as Ned studiously ignored the knowing glances the cousins gave his wife. "Don't forget about Sunday," Bess ordered Nancy sternly. "Rain or shine, Drew."

"I'll be there," Nancy promised. "Look, thanks for tonight."

"Sure thing," Bess said, glancing pointedly at Ned. "Be good, Nickerson."

"Always," he told Bess.

Ned and Nancy headed out hand in hand. "You take a cab?"

"Yeah."

"My car's at work."

"You gonna be okay to drive?"

"By the time we get there, I will." Ned squeezed her hand. "Look, Nan... I worry about you. I do. And I can't really say I'm sorry about that."

She shook her head. "I'm glad you care enough to worry about me."

"And I don't know what to do," he said, his voice tight with frustration. "What happened—babe, that scared the shit out of me. I think about you being in trouble when I can't be there and it makes me _sick_."

She squeezed his hand. "I'm going to be more careful," she told him.

"You'd better," he told her seriously. "Nan, I meant it. I will lose my fucking mind if anything happens to you. I get so angry because—because no one, nothing else has ever made me feel as helpless as you."

She dropped his hand to slide her arm around his waist, and he returned the gesture. They bumped along the sidewalk together. "It's us now," she said softly. "Not just me. Sometimes it's hard to remember that."

"It is," he agreed. "I don't want to control you, babe. I just want to keep you safe, and I have no idea how to do that."

She sighed. "Just be there," she whispered. "Just be there and trust me."

Ned's hand began to slowly drift up and down her hip, to flirt with the hem of her dress. They walked into the parking lot together and by the time they reached the elevator, she was shaking in anticipation.

"Camera?" she asked, as the doors opened.

Ned nodded.

"How often you think they check it?"

Ned growled at her. "Babe, you even _touch_ me and I'm gonna have your panties down and be fucking you against that wall before we've gone five feet."

"That a promise?"

He put his hands in his pockets and moved to the other side of the car.

"Spoilsport."

They had almost made it to Ned's car when Ned's fingers tightened against hers. His steps slowed and she slowed with him, glancing up at him.

He leaned down and put his mouth against her ear. "Give yourself to me," he whispered.

She closed her eyes. Oh God. Oh God. They hadn't had sex since she had been attacked and while she was wet, while she _wanted_ him, giving him control so soon...

She nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, and swallowed hard. "Yes."

He kissed her neck and she slid her fingers into his hair, sighing at the sensation. He nipped lightly at her, then pulled back, unlocking the door for her.

He could do anything he wanted to her, now.

They were quiet until he merged onto the highway. "What do you want to do tonight?"

Nancy raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had given him control. That generally meant her desire was secondary. "Anything?"

He nodded. "Anything."

"Well..." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Let me think about it." She had something she definitely wanted to do Saturday, after they went out, but it wasn't ready yet.

They were pulling into the driveway when she finally decided. "Why don't we try out the sex swing."

Ned groaned. "Babe, I'm not gonna last long enough to get that damn thing set up."

She shrugged. "You asked," she said lightly.

He considered for a second. "Well, we've had it long enough."

Nancy made it into the house first, but just barely. Ned caught up with her, slamming the door behind him, and pulled her into his arms, his mouth insistent, demanding, against hers. He backed her into the doorway between the kitchen and the living room and she looped her leg around him, grinding against him, gasping into his mouth. She wanted him _now_ , hard, brutal, and when he slipped his hands under the hem of her dress and hooked his fingers in the elastic of her thong, she moaned in pleasure.

He pulled back slightly and yanked her panties down, and she sent them sliding down her legs with a swing of her hips. Then he picked her up and practically tossed her onto the couch, and before she could say anything, do anything, he was kneeling between her legs, bringing her knees up to hook them over his shoulders. He watched her face as he dipped his hand between her thighs, slicked his fingers with her arousal and trailed them up to her clit.

She arched like she'd been struck by lightning when he rubbed the sensitive bit of flesh, her palms planted on the couch, and when he leaned down and suckled against her clit, she sobbed out a pleading cry. "Yes, yes, _yes_ ," she urged him on, raking her nails gently against his scalp as he teased the slick button. When her hips began to jerk and shudder with the slow build of her orgasm, Ned pulled back and then rubbed his stubbled chin against her.

She sucked in a startled, delighted breath. "Oh my _God_ ," she panted, parting her legs a little more. Her cry rose to a burbling plea, and the burn of his stubble against the sensitive flesh felt so fucking good. She whimpered and he slipped one finger up inside her and she spasmed hard against him, her entire body jerking in response.

And then he picked her up and his finger wasn't inside her anymore, he wasn't teasing her clit anymore, and she sighed in frustration. " _Please_ ," she groaned.

He slammed her against the wall, her legs wrapping around his waist, and he guided her hips to the right angle, and—

She screamed, arching hard, as gravity and his touch drove her hips down, sheathed the entire length of his cock between her thighs. He cupped her ass and drove into her hard, and she dug her nails into his shoulders, his back.

"Tell me, baby," he ordered her, panting. "Tell me what you want."

"This," she sobbed out, tilting her head back as his next thrust pounded her against the wall. "Oh my _God_ , I want you _so much,_ I've wanted you so much tonight, please, _please_ —"

Her voice rose into a scream as she began to come, and he moved in her faster, the coarse hair below his navel rubbing against her clit at the apex of his thrust. She shuddered, writhing against him, and he let out a hoarse groan as he came.

She started panting her breath back, as Ned carried her to the couch. He sat down with her on his lap, and she was naked under her dress from the waist down, drowsy and sated. She laid her head on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Mmm," she told him, her eyes closed. "God, yes."

He chuckled and stroked his fingertips slowly down her bare thigh. She shivered a little.

"Nan?"

"Mmm?"

"I... do you have... fantasies? About... something like... about getting raped?"

She opened her eyes lazily and tilted her head up to look at him. "Like what happened at the office?" she asked him softly.

"Like that. Or not."

She shook her head. "Sometimes I fantasize about what would happen if we didn't have a safe word," she said quietly. "If you would walk in and just fuck me senseless and there would be no way to tell you no, if you just did anything you wanted to me. But... well, we were in that hotel room, and..." She shrugged. "It's just a fantasy. Why... why do you ask? Do you—"

"No. No." Ned shook his head quickly. "I just... I didn't know. I know I could never do that. It's just the way you reacted... I didn't know if you'd had some reaction that upset you."

She shook her head. "I wasn't into it," she said. " _God_ , I wasn't into it. You fucking me against the wall? That's hot. You having sex with me when I don't want it? No. Not even you."

He squeezed her hip. "Good."

She picked up her panties, slipping them back on before they headed upstairs. Ned grabbed his bottle of scotch, and when he was halfway up the stairs, he made a noise and walked back down. He came to their bedroom with the bottle in one hand and their toolkit in the other.

"You sure about this?"

Nancy chuckled. "See, that's the problem, we have sex and then you don't care about putting the swing together anymore, and here we are."

Ned sighed. "Well, at least by the time we have it together, we'll be ready to go again."

By the time it was all put together, Ned was buzzed again and Nancy was laughing, practically just as drunk herself. Installing the bolt in the ceiling required the stud finder, and a ladder, and after he climbed down Ned drank twice as quickly to compensate. Then they had it hanging and it was just a set of straps, and Nancy took a swig directly from the neck of his bottle before they tried to figure _that_ out. The instructions just seemed hilarious, and kind of blurry since they were drunk, and in the end Ned tried to help her out and they just ended up giggling at each other, as she shucked her panties off and they fumbled her into the straps. When she was seated relatively comfortably, hanging onto the arm straps, her legs spread wide, Ned stepped back.

He flushed, gazing wide-eyed at her. "Oh, holy fuck."

Nancy glanced down, trying to figure out what he was seeing. "What? Something wrong?"

Ned shook his head slowly, still staring at her. "You know how hot it was the first time you told me you were cool with tying each other up? Oh my _God_ Nan... you look so incredibly _fucking_ hot right now." He pulled his shirt off, his chest still gleaming faintly from exertion, and then he quickly shoved his pants and underwear down.

She tightened her grip on the arm straps. "And you put this off for how long?" she said, a slow smile crossing her lips. She was burning up, and Ned's obvious arousal and her incredibly vulnerable position had her slick with anticipation.

"I didn't know," he said, wonderingly, and moved between her legs. He stroked her inner thighs with light, teasing brushes of his fingertips and she tensed, letting her head fall back. Even though she had watched—well, kind of watched—him install the thing, part of her was afraid it was going to crash to the floor at any moment, leaving her with a severely bruised ass.

"I wanna be next."

"Well, you are in control," she pointed out, and sucked in a hard breath when he slipped his thumb between her thighs, drawing the slick heat he found there up to her clit. He rubbed the button of flesh and she rocked impatiently, then giggled when the swing moved with her.

"God. Seriously." Ned shook his head. "I am so sorry we waited so long."

"We're not even fucking yet," Nancy pointed out, shivering as he caressed her clit. "Baby, _please,_ please don't tease me."

"I'm in control," he repeated, and grinned. "If I ever come home and find you in this thing waiting for me..."

She opened her mouth but then Ned thrust himself to the hilt inside her, hard and quick, and then he stepped forward and his angle changed and Nancy groaned, loudly, her eyes sewn shut in pleasure, her brows knitting. He touched her clit again and she whimpered.

"Raise your arms," he told her, and she obeyed, letting him pull her dress off. She grabbed the arm straps again as he gazed at the corset, the corset she had been wearing that terrible night.

"You like it?" she gasped out, arching to bounce her hips weightlessly against his. "It's for you."

"I do," Ned nodded, and dug his fingers hard into her ass to keep her still. She shivered, savoring the feel of him inside her as he slowly, methodically unhooked the boned satin. He pulled it off her and latched onto a bare nipple and her inner flesh tightened around him as she tossed her head back again.

"More," she begged, rocking against him again, and he suckled almost painfully hard against her other nipple, fondling the first. Her hips shivered and she found the right angle.

"Fuck, oh, _fuck_ ," she sobbed out as her clit found contact with his skin. "Ned, please, _fuck._ "

He chuckled and then stepped back, pulling almost out of her, leaving her frantic with disappointment. He moved forward rapidly, thrusting fully into her again, and she savagely arched, rutting against him, sobbing at the pleasure of it.

"God, yes," she encouraged him, as he laced his fingers into hers and thrust hard into the slick clench of her sex. Their gazes met and locked, his dark with almost insatiable lust, and she shivered. _Him_. It was him. It had always been him, always. It had always been his touch, the thought of him doing this to her, that had made her wet, made her shiver and clench secretly in the dark.

Her cries built, her fingers tightening against his, as her orgasm rose, and the sensation of him inside her was so intense it was almost unendurable. He took another half-step forward and her clit rubbed against him again and she rocked and circled her hips against his, sobbing at the joy of it.

Ned's jaw was tight, his teeth clenched in the effort of holding back. "Come," he growled, and she spasmed in answer, bouncing against the spring as she fucked him. He tweaked her nipple hard and she clenched again, and she screamed as the pleasure peaked and swelled in her, every bit of her attention centered on the glide of his hot, throbbing sex against hers. She arched with wanton abandon against him, shuddering in delight.

Ned came, squeezing her hands, shivering himself as her inner flesh clenched tight around his cock. "God," he groaned. "God, baby."

She swallowed. "Yeah," she agreed, stretching. "I think I'm gonna have bruises tomorrow, but _fuck_ , that was so worth it."

Ned shook his head. "You can't have bruises tomorrow. We're going out."

"And then maybe _you'll_ get some bruises, after," she teased him, as he began to help her out of the swing. Having her legs spread for so long was starting to ache. "But I fully intend on trying it out again too. I got a new toy—"

Ned shook his head, helping chafe her wrists as he put her down on the floor. "All those dildos in our drawer are starting to give me a complex."

"I think you'll like this one," she said, her voice low and sultry. "And I _really_ think I will."

She went to the bathroom to clean herself up, and when she came back, Ned was still naked and gazing at the empty swing.

"You keep looking at it like that and I'm gonna get jealous."

Ned chuckled. "If we leave it up I'm gonna want to try it out, like, every hour for the rest of the night."

Nancy pulled the covers back and slipped beneath, still naked. "Just wake me up so I can watch," she teased him.

"Oh, I'll wake you up," he promised in a low growl, turning off the lights before he slipped in with her. "Thanks," he whispered more quietly.

"For what?" She blinked lazily up at him, the scotch and her pleased afterglow making her suddenly exhausted.

"For letting me do that. For letting me have you." He touched her face. "I know it's not forever..."

She reached up and drew his face down to hers, kissing him hard, the tangy aftertaste of her sex on his tongue. "I am yours," she told him, her voice quiet but strong. " _Forever_ , Ned. That's what we said. In front of everybody." She touched his wedding ring. "Forever."

He kissed her again, hard, and she hooked her leg around his hips, drawing herself to him. "Promise," he whispered against her lips. "Forever, baby. That you'll never leave me, ever."

She closed her eyes. "I promise," she whispered, sighing as he pinned her easily under his weight, leaving her defenseless. "Forever, baby. Forever."

His lips brushed her cheek. "I'd go to hell and back for you."

She took his face in her hands and moved him back so she could see his face. "Let's just not let it come to that."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by killingstreak.

When she woke, Ned was sprawled at his side of the bed, and the sunshine was just streaming in through the binds.

She stretched and then winced as her head throbbed slightly, as the sheets slid across her bare skin.

_Oh._

They had very glorious, drunken sex yesterday night and if she wasn't mistaken—and she definitely was not; Ned was clockwork when it came to this—tonight was going to be just as swell, if not better.

She had met with Barnes yesterday, and...

And she had thought she was over it, _had even gotten angry with Ned when he didn't want her back there_ , had convinced herself that so long as Eric wasn't _there_ , it would be okay, that everything would be okay again.

The last meeting only emphasized how _not_ okay she was. Just entering the building, passing by that room, _that table_ , made her shiver, made the knot in her stomach tighten, made her want to gag.

Ned's expression when she had told him about the meeting had been a mixture of both relief and guarded happiness, and she didn't quite know what to make of it.

Some days Ned's possessiveness threatened to strangle her, to stifle the life out of her.

Ned shifted beside her and he reached for her blindly, pulling her into his embrace, sighing contently.

Other days she was just glad he was in her life.

-

When she emerged from the bathroom, Ned had pushed the covers down and was gazing at her lazily.

“Hey,” he mouthed and shot her a lopsided grin.

“Hey back,” Nancy replied, smiling, as she bent to pick up the discarded clothing on the floor, her dress, his trousers, their underwear, evidence from yesterday.

He pushed himself off the bed and came towards her, hugging her from behind. She squealed when he lifted her off the floor. She swatted at his arms and he squeezed her, his hands warm against her stomach.

“Shower, hmm?” Ned asked as he nuzzled against her neck, and she giggled as his rough stubble grazed her skin.

“Only if you play fair,” Nancy shot back, and Ned released her, chuckling.

“You know I can't promise that.”

-

They had made plans for today. A simple lunch at home, a movie date and then a nice, romantic dinner at Chez Louis before heading home for another round of mind-blowing sex.

As Nancy stepped into the shower, she couldn't stop her gaze from straying down to below his navel. It looked like Ned fully intended to skip the day's plans and get right down to the fucking.

“You know the rules,” Nancy said, one eyebrow raised as she stepped under the spray.

They had agreed to abstain from sex for at least a day or two, to make tonight special. It was their anniversary celebration, after all.

Ned never stuck to the rules. Which was kinda how they had ended up having sex yesterday night.

“I do,” Ned agreed, before taking her in his arms and backing her into the corner, until she was pressed against the cold tile, gasping at the coolness.

He leaned down to kiss her and his hand slowly stroked the skin at her hip, as he maneuvered his knee in between, their bodies slick. She made a soft noise when his fingers brushed against her mound, when he delicately opened her, as he deepened the kiss.

“Ned,” she groaned as he thrust two fingers up, as her knees buckled. She grabbed his forearm to steady herself and Ned chuckled, his cock already standing at attention. Her brows knit, she started to grind down on him, and when Ned pulled out, she gazed up at him, pleading.

“I just don't follow them,” Ned said, a smirk on his face as he boosted her in his arms, and she arched when he pushed home, filling her completely.

-

When they finally got out of the shower, Nancy plonked straight onto the bed again, spread-eagle, her wet hair fanned out on the coverlet.

“God,” she muttered, closing her eyes. “I need at least two cups of coffee today. Venti sized.”

Ned walked in, a towel wrapped around his waist as he looked at her appreciatively. “You're asking for it," he commented good-naturedly, and Nancy opened one eye to look at him.

“What?”

“At least close your legs,” Ned replied, shaking his head as he pulled on a fresh pair of boxers.

“Not like you can go another round,” Nancy teased, just as Ned's phone rang from the dresser and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Ned Nickerson,” Ned answered, hopping a little as he attempted to step into his trousers. “Why today?” Ned asked whoever was on the line, his tone annoyed, as Nancy watched him pace around the room, his fingers running through his hair. He only did that when he was frustrated. Many years back when they were still dating, he had thought it was cool to have tousled hair. After much bribing and persuasion, she had managed to convince him that the look was only wearable in bed.

She shot him a sympathetic smile and Ned gave her a grimace. Whatever the person was saying, it wasn't good news.

“Fine,” Ned sighed heavily, as he sat down beside her. She touched his hand. “But I'm getting off by 7. It's my _anniversary,_ for god's sake.”

He turned the phone off and flung it towards the pillows as he sprawled onto the bed. “Now _I_ need two cups of coffee,” he groaned.

“What's wrong?” Nancy asked, running her fingers down his chest, admiring his washboard abs. No matter how much Ned ate, he still managed to keep in shape.

“Got to get back to the office and clear up some stuff,” Ned sighed, dry-washing his face.“Andrew fucked up again.”

Nancy shook her head sympathetically. “Go then. I can entertain myself for the afternoon.”

“You sure?” Ned asked, hedging. “It _is_ our anniversary, kinda, today...”

“And there's nothing you can do about it,” Nancy pointed out. “Just make sure you're back in time for our dinner reservation.”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Ned promised as he sat up and kissed her cheek.

-

With Ned gone, Nancy sat down at the kitchen table and made herself a cup of coffee.

She had picked up a new toy a week ago, when she was on one of her solo shopping trips. She did shop for lingerie with Bess and George, but she never brought them along when she went purposefully into a sex shop. It would be weird and probably a little awkward too.

Her newest addition to their collection was a glass dildo, heavy, solid and thick, with ridges and bumps for extra stimulation. Or so the package claimed.

Nancy took out the dildo from the box and held it, her fingers closing absent-mindedly around it to measure its girth. It was about Ned's size, and the thought alone sent a delicious shiver down her spine.

She set her coffee down on the table and cast a thoughtful glance at the fridge.

_Maybe later._

Right now, she was going for a last-minute appointment. Her bush was growing back and hell, did she want Ned going down on her again tonight.

-

Nancy had her outfit already prepared. As usual, choosing what lingerie to wear was the hardest.

Her dress, a slinky black number, came with padding inside, so she deliberately picked a black lace string teddy that came with a halter neck, banded around but providing absolutely no coverage for her breasts. Oh it was going to be a bitch to go to the washroom afterward, but she knew Ned had always liked her in one, was always gazing at it the longest in lingerie shops.

She tried it on, paired with thigh high stockings, and struck a pose in front of the mirror. She scrutinized her reflection in the mirror and frowned. Her breasts weren't as perky as she liked them to be and her hips jutted out too much.

The phone rang and she answered it, absent-mindedly piling her hair in a bun on the top of her head before letting it fall down again.

“Hi gorgeous,” Ned greeted and Nancy smiled into the mirror. “I'll be there in about twenty minutes... Think you can be ready by then?”

“Yeah,” Nancy replied, as she hooked her earrings. “I'll be ready.”

When Ned rang the doorbell, Nancy was just sliding her feet into her stilettos, trying to cram her cellphone into her mini clutch. She opened the door and Ned was standing there in his suit, a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Happy anniversary, Nan.” Ned smiled as he presented her with the flowers.

“Happy anniversary,” Nancy parroted back. “Let me just get them some water.”

When she passed by the kitchen table, her gaze fell onto the box, still sitting there innocently. Shaking her head, she took the dildo out of the packaging and placed it in the fridge. She _really_ wanted to see his face when he reached in to grab a beer but got that instead.

-

“What are you wearing under that?” Ned asked, once dessert was served.

“Surprised it took you this long to ask,” Nancy replied mildly as she shifted slightly in her seat, aware that his gaze had fallen down to her breasts.

“Well, dinner was distracting,” Ned defended himself, although he couldn't stop the hint of a smile that was tugging at his lips. “And you are _gorgeous_.”

Nancy dipped her head in response. “Flattery will get you everywhere, darling.”

“And tonight?” Ned asked, cocking his head to one side, his eyes wide.

“What about it?” Nancy asked as she held his gaze, her eyes dancing.

“ _Carte blanche_ ,” Ned murmured, and oh, there was no mistaking the heat in his eyes.

-

Throughout the drive home, Nancy kept stealing glances at Ned.

“What?” Ned asked, bemused. “If you keep looking at me like that, I'll—”

“Pull over and fuck me in the backseat?” Nancy asked, keeping her voice low and sultry as her hand moved to his crotch.

“Keep talking like that, lady,” Ned growled as Nancy laughed and batted her eyelashes at him.

“I'll take my chances.”

“Oh, I wouldn't count on it,” Ned replied, smirking.

-

When the door closed behind them, Ned reached out and caught her wrist, pulling her to him. He kissed her and she made a soft noise as his tongue pushed in, as his hands inched under her dress, pushing the fabric up.

He made a pleased sound when he cupped her ass, finding it bare, as his finger gently traced the string of her thong. She jerked when he circled the rim of her asshole and then he was pulling the string taut, and _fuck_ , it was rubbing just against her clit, the movement, the _friction_ causing her to arch against him. Her hips bucked and Ned grinned when his fingers moved lower and found her dripping wet.

“Looks like someone's ready.”

“Like you're not too,” Nancy purred, her hands moving down the front of his pants. When she cupped his erection gently, Ned growled softly, stepping back a little, away from her touch.

“No,” he said, shaking his head as he captured her wrists easily in one hand and unzipped her dress in one fluid motion. The soft silk slid down her body and she was standing there in her heels, in that damn string teddy, her chin up.

“Oh fuck,” Ned breathed as his gaze ran down her body, his pants tenting further.

She smirked and he lost it just then, as he scooped her up in his arms, her breasts crushed against his chest. “Kitchen table,” she breathed, her breath sending a shiver through him, her lips grazing his ear. He squeezed her ass hard in response.

He placed her on the table, and when he started to tug his shirt off, she sat up, stopping him with a palm against his chest. “Leave your clothes on,” she said, and Ned shrugged as he allowed her to unzip him. She touched him and when she looked up, their locked gaze was electrifying.

“I love you,” Nancy whispered, and Ned realized dimly that they hadn't said it for a while.

“I love you too,” Ned whispered back as he leaned down to kiss her, until her back was pressed against the table top and her legs wrapped around his waist. She could feel his cock jutting against her entrance, and their bodies were lined up just right, _perfect_ , like always.

He reached between them and pulled aside the string and she arched, her heels digging into his back as he slowly pushed in, teasing her, taking slow strokes. He buried himself deep between her legs and then he stroked her face, gently tucking her fringe behind her ear. Her eyes were so wide, a sea of blue as they gazed back into his.

“Nan,” he whispered as he kissed her, over and over again until she was squirming under him, until she was lifting her hips to grind against him.

“Ned,” she begged, and he heard the plea in her voice. Oh, she knew how much that turned him on.

He gathered her in his arms, tugged her until she was at the very edge of the table and brought her to sit up slowly. Her legs fell open and he pulled her tight towards him as she naturally propped herself up, her back arching.

He thrust once, experimentally, and her breasts shook, as she tipped her head back, exposing the white column of her throat.

“Deeper,” she moaned as she wrapped her legs tight around him, her thighs locked on either side of his ass as he pushed deeper this time.

“Yes.” She let out a soft cry as Ned pulled out for another thrust, for another, another, and then his hands slid under her ass to tilt her just so, so that she was just barely balancing on her tailbone and—

“ _Fuck_ ,” Nancy panted, her eyes closed as her breasts bounced with every thrust. “You're so deep, fuck, fuck, _fuck._ ” She groaned as he fucked her faster and harder, his every stroke bringing her closer to her climax, until she was trembling in his arms, grinding against him, shivering with her aftershocks.

“Oh my god, fuck.” Nancy exhaled as she pushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes. Ned pulled out and she slumped back down on the table, her chest heaving.Ned looked at her and grinned, seemingly pleased at himself for being able to make her come without having to even touch her clit.

“That good?” Ned asked teasingly as he loosened his tie with one hand, the other hand unable to resist stroking her flesh. “Fuck, you look damn good in this—whatever you call it.”

Nancy nodded. “You felt deeper than usual.”

“Well, you're quieter today,” Ned remarked, as he stripped off his clothing. She watched him intently as he walked towards the fridge. He was going to get himself a beer. She could read him like a book.

She threw her head back and arched her back in an exaggerated curve. “It's called conserving energy,” she replied, before shooting him a wicked grin.

She watched as he opened the fridge door, the blue light illuminating him. “You have a nice ass. Did I ever tell you that?” Nancy asked, laughter in her voice. _Anytime now..._

“Want a be—” Ned asked, but then his voice trailed off and Nancy suddenly wished they had turned on the kitchen light.

“Yeah?” Nancy asked, prompting him, although she knew full well what had just momentarily rendered him speechless.

“Nothing,” Ned answered, his tone light, as he took a swig from the beer can. “Want a sip?”

“Nah.”

“You going to lie here all night?” Ned asked, laughing, as he walked back over to her.

She shot him a mild look as she pushed herself up on her elbows. “I need to recuperate. A girl needs rest.”

“Oh, do you?” Ned asked, a hint of a challenge in his voice as he took her chin up and kissed her hard. She shivered when his cool fingers brushed her skin and then she thought about the dildo in the fridge. _Did he take it out –_

She jerked, crying out mid-kiss when he suddenly brushed the cool tip of the glass dildo against her clit, and _fuck_ it _burned_ , it was so fucking cold and she was so fucking hot and _god_. She jerked again when he pressed it harder into her skin, and then he was sliding it in –

“ _Fuck_. Oh my _fuck_ ,” Nancy swore, her eyes blinking back the sudden tears as she tried to squirm, to escape the cold and it was torture, pure fucking torture because it was too cold, too damn cold, but oh god, it felt good, it felt infinitely good too. She had been shivering with the aftershocks of her climax and the cold, the coolness of the dildo was like a reset button, shocking her nerves once more.

“Spread your legs, baby,” Ned urged, as he focused his gaze on her face, as he watched her face scrunch up in a mix of both pain and pleasure. He tweaked her nipples and she cried out again, as the cool condensation caused them to harden.

“Big,” she choked out, as Ned finally inserted the whole dildo in her. It was different from all the other dildos she had. The glass meant that it was heavy, that it was actually something substantial, and the thickness made it feel like she was fucking a real person, not just another rubber toy.

When it was all the way in, Ned twisted it slightly and she arched fully off the table, as the ridges on the dildo brushed against her inner walls and the coolness was wearing off to become a more comfortable temperature.

“More,” she begged, and Ned's fingers brushed against her clit, creating a V shape, rubbing her gently and she was so aroused, so damn wet that the dildo moved inside her with no friction at all.

He pumped inside her faster and faster until she kicked off her heels, planting her feet firmly on the table top, her hips shaking, her pleas incoherent. “Please,” she gasped, burbling, and when Ned flicked his fingernail against her clit, she lost it, as she writhed, clamping down hard on the dildo, crying out.

When she opened her eyes, Ned was gazing at her, his eyes dark with lust, as his cock stood fully erect again.

“I want to fuck you right now,” he whispered harshly and she shivered. Her thighs ached. Her every nerve was screaming. Her only answer was a sigh and a shake of her head as he wrapped his arms around her and carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

_Another round._

Oh god, Nancy wanted to cry out.

He threw her down unceremoniously onto the bed, although he aimed it so that her head was cushioned by the pillow. “Ned,” she whispered, looking up at him as he stood at the foot of their bed, just looking at her. The admiration and frankness in his gaze was so apparent that she blushed, that she felt the irrational urge to close her legs tight together.

“I almost don't want to take this off you.” Ned said, shaking his head as he tugged at the strings holding her string teddy together. “But it's that, or fully naked.”

“Tough choice,” Nancy teased, swallowing. Her throat felt so dry. But then, she screamed a lot just now.

“Much as I love it, I love you more,” Ned answered seriously. She smiled up at him, her hand drifting up to cup his face, to trace his features.

He crawled over her and when he positioned himself over her, she shook her head. “I'm not ready yet,” she whispered and he nodded. He kissed her forehead before slowly trailing kisses down to her breasts, swirling his tongue around her nipples until she was moving her legs restlessly under him.

“More?” he asked, and she didn't bother to answer him as he moved further down, to dip his tongue into the hollow of her hipbone, to gently suckle on her flesh. She gasped when he needled her clit very, very gently between his teeth, when his tongue flicked it to soothe it, when he pushed one finger inside her.

“Ned,” she moaned, her eyes screwed shut as he fingered her, his tongue darting round her clit, teasing her.

“Ned,” she groaned again, louder this time, and Ned detached to look up at her. He didn't have to ask and she didn't have to beg as he pushed himself up, giving her clit one last brush, causing her to moan softly.

He crawled back up and she leaned up and kissed him full on the lips, tasting herself on him, as she grasped his cock, pumped him once before guiding him to her.

He broke the kiss to push in fully and it never got old, this sensation, of being so intimately joined to her, of being her whole world during their love-making.

“Nan,” he whispered and she closed her eyes at the reverence in his voice. He would practically worship the ground she walked on. She knew that. On the other hand, she was never very sure how aware he was that he was her everything too.

She dug her fingers into his ass and pulled him closer, to draw him as deep as possible, as she wrapped her legs around him, gently rocking under him. When she blinked her eyes open again, her pupils blown wide with desire, his gaze was dark and hot on hers.

“Mine,” Ned whispered, as they stayed like that, wrapped around each other, their gazes locked.

“Forever,” Nancy agreed as she felt him pulse in her. She deliberately tightened around him and he groaned in response.

“I want to try something,” Ned said softly, and she nodded. She trusted him completely.

She rolled over with him so that she was on top and when she started to move her hips and ride him, he shook his head but he didn't stop her anyway. She knew he liked her on top. He liked to watch her breasts bounce, liked to watch her take control, particularly liked it when she sat down on his cock slowly, inch by inch.

She pulled out and then took him in agonizingly slowly, paying extra attention to the tip of his cock, as she clenched hard until she had him growling softly, the muscles in his thighs quivering slightly as she watched him fight the urge to slam her down onto him.

When she took him fully, her arms around his neck, Ned gripped her hips hard to stop her from squirming before scooting to the edge of the bed, until his feet were on the ground. Sealing her to him, he slowly stood up as he cradled her ass and the back of her thighs.

“Prop your feet against the bed,” Ned instructed and Nancy shifted, legs in the air until she clumsily found the edge, her knees bent slightly.

“Okay?” Ned asked. She was suspended at an angle, her arms were looped around his neck, fully extended, his hands gripping her. They were at eye level in this position and she was at his mercy, and yet she could thrust against him, with the bed as leverage.

Ned bent his legs slightly and when he pulled out almost completely to thrust back in, Nancy groaned, her head tilted back as she tightened her grip on his neck.

“Fuck yes,” she ground out, her teeth clenched as Ned thrust back into her, as he pumped faster and faster between her legs, and she felt light-headed, felt completely vulnerable and yet perfectly safe in his arms. She could see his arms straining to support her weight, and when she tilted her head back a little she could meet his gaze. She loved the way he looked every time they had sex. The way his brows knit as he concentrated on bringing her to orgasm, on giving her as much pleasure as possible, as she became the whole world to him.

She was still so fucking sensitive from before that his every stroke _hurt_ , every thrust felt like he was stretching her further, and it ought to be impossible but he was building up another orgasm in her again, his long languorous strokes driving her crazy, driving her higher and higher and then she was coming, she was screaming full-throated as she braced herself against the bed, her hips bucking wildly, as he continued to piston in and out of her, as she clamped down hard on him.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” she swore as she rutted against him in short quick strokes, and then Ned staggered slightly as his ass hit the edge of the bed, gravity causing her to sink down to him, before he released in her, with the hot gush of his seed.

“Fuck yes,” Ned agreed, as he pulled her into a tight embrace, nuzzling into her neck. “Oh god, I love you.”

Nancy pulled back to look into his eyes and she laughed softly as she traced his eyebrow. “How is it that our sex can get better every time?”

“Dunno,” Ned shrugged, faking modesty, but he couldn't hide his smirk.

She shifted her legs and groaned slightly. Fuck. Now her thighs were definitely aching.

Ned gently lifted her off him and she sprawled across the bed, gingerly pulling her legs together. He disappeared into the toilet and came back with a washcloth, which she gratefully took to clean herself up.

“I can't move,” Nancy said, staring up at the ceiling, her legs hanging off the bed. Ned snorted, laughing, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “I hate you.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Ned said sweetly as he scooped her up and deposited her at the head of the bed.

“What an inappropriate thing to say on our anniversary,” Ned commented once he was settled comfortably beside her, the covers tugged up.

Nancy shot him a baleful look and Ned grinned, kissing the tip of her nose.

“I definitely won't be able to walk tomorrow,” she complained and Ned chuckled.

“Well, we can't have that can we? Mom said she's baking her special lemon meringue pie tomorrow.”

Nancy shook her head. “Your wife and your stomach. I wonder who wins?”

Ned smiled as he drew her into his embrace. “I do.”

“Sucker,” Nancy accused him, but she was smiling.

He was smiling too.


	9. Chapter 9

Ned quickened his step as he walked into Rosebud Prime. The restaurant was full and he was barely thirty seconds early, but Carson Drew was _always_ on time.

"Hello, Ned," his father-in-law greeted him. He looked distinguished and crisp in his suit. "Always a pleasure to be in the city."

"I'm glad you were able to make it," Ned said, reaching for his own menu.

"I never had a chance to ask. Did you and Nancy have fun at the charity dinner?"

It took Ned a minute. Then he remembered. Nancy in her heavy blue gown, giggling as Ned bared her breasts in the garden. "Oh. Yes. Yes, we did. Thank you for thinking of us when you couldn't go."

Carson smiled. "Just glad the tickets could be put to good use."

Ned closed his menu. "Speaking of the dinner... something happened there, that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

A waiter approached. "It can wait a minute," Ned said.

Once they had placed their orders, Ned took a deep breath, then glanced up at his father-in-law. "It's about Nancy."

Carson's gaze was immediately sharp. "Something's wrong? She—"

"She's—she's okay. I talked to her this morning," Ned reassured him. He missed her, _God_ did he miss her, but they had managed to talk almost every day. "It's not like that. She was working a case for a firm—LLS, here in the city. A guy named Eric—" Ned's jaw clenched, and he had to stop for a second, take a deep breath— "started making moves on her. He wouldn't take no for an answer. I actually saw him..."

Ned had to take another deep breath and Carson's eyes were watchful. "I saw him flirting with her when I came to the charity dance. I made it clear, that he should keep his hands off her. But he didn't. He waited a while after that night, and then he and a few of his friends got drunk and decided it would be fun to lure her to their work and—overpower her."

Carson had moved to pick up his water glass, but Ned's words had arrested him. His knuckles were turning white.

"She had a bad feeling about it, so she let me know where she was going, and when I came in." Oh, oh fuck. Ned had thought he was over it, but talking about it was just making him enraged again. "When I came in, I'd disabled one guy, but Eric and the other two had her pinned down on a desk. They had gagged her, and—her jeans were open, and his—Eric's belt was unbuckled."

Ned hadn't been sure that anyone else on earth could possibly understand, what it had felt like to stand there in that doorway, to see that. To see the person he loved more than anyone else, more than life itself, being hurt that way. But the expression on Carson's face told Ned that at least one other person did.

"They _hurt_ her," Ned told his father-in-law, his jaw clenched. "Slapped her. Bruised her. She was bleeding. And she managed to get the whole thing on tape. Well, digitally recorded on her cell phone."

Carson had to take a long sip of water before he could speak, and even then his voice was almost strained. "How long ago was this."

Ned told him, filled him in on the other incidental questions. While part of him felt a little strange, talking to Carson without Nancy there, as terrible as it was to relive it, Ned was sure that taking Nancy through it would be a hundred times more painful for her.

"Is this the first time something like this has happened?"

"Something _like_ this? No. There have been—other instances, other men, but she was always able to get it through their heads. This guy? World-class jack— I mean—"

"Jackass," Carson finished, and Ned was still startled, hearing profanity come out of his mouth. "Right."

Ned shook his head. "Sometimes I can't imagine how you ever let her out of your sight."

Carson shook his head, too. "There's a reason you told me this," he said. "Surely this isn't for my peace of mind."

"Yeah." Ned took a sip of his water. "I was wondering if you could pull some strings. Get them to put him away forever, throw away the key."

"I'd have to look at the case," Carson said. "Talk to the prosecutor. Pattern of behavior, though... might be able to bump it up to fifteen with a significant fine."

Ned smiled. "That sounds like a good place to start."

\--

He knew how many minutes it had been, since he had last seen her. He had picked her up and held her when they were saying goodbye at the airport, had buried his face against her skin and breathed her in, and while he told her to behave herself, to be careful and call him every single day, he had been almost intoxicated by how wonderful it felt to have her in his arms, the delicious _scent_ of her, the texture of her skin. He knew how many minutes it had been since they had made love, since she had sobbed out his name, trembling, begging for him.

Ned was flipping through the channels, alone in their bed, the cell phone on the comforter beside him, when it buzzed. He dropped the remote and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ned!" Nancy squealed. "Ohmigod Ned. I miss you _so much._ "

Ned chuckled. "How drunk are you, babe?"

"I'm not _drunk_ ," she told him petulantly, slurring a little. "I feel _good_."

"Mmm."

"You haven't said you miss me."

Ned glanced at the screen. He'd stopped on the classic movie channel; he saw a black and white beach dotted with sun-drenched couples. "I miss you like a drowning man misses air," he told her, letting himself sink back into the pillows. "The only thing that's kept me going is the thought of ripping your clothes off as soon as I get off the plane. I can't wait to see that tight little ass of yours again, and I bet by now you're all tan..."

Nancy giggled. "Yeah, and all freckly."

"I'm gonna kiss every one of those freckles, so I hope you have some in some fun places," he said, his voice low. "What are you wearing, baby?"

" _Ned_ ," she drawled, and giggled. "Just a tank top and a little skirt."

"Make some excuse and go back to your room," he told her. "I'm dying here. I need to hear you come."

" _Ned_ ," she whispered, and from her tone he could tell she was blushing. "I'm going to see you in..."

Ned glanced at the clock. "Nineteen hours," he filled in. "Do you know how fucking hard it's going to be to wait that long?"

"Well, you're going to _have_ to wait that long."

"Nan," Ned groaned, though he was smiling. "I want to hear you touching yourself and thinking about me."

Nancy groaned in frustration. "We _can't_ ," she told him. "I'm in a guest house with, like, ten people—"

"But they're at the party with you right now, right? So you can just go back there—"

"And if I start..." She dropped her voice. "If I start doing _that_ you know someone's going to come in..."

"And the problem is...?"

Nancy sighed. "I haven't been alone for a _second_ ," she told him. "There are people _everywhere_. And God, I am so wet for you. I haven't been able to do... anything... about it, since I got here."

"I've heard you try to be quiet when you come," he said. "I mean, you have pillows..."

"Yeah, but... I want you... to tell me what to do," she breathed, and Ned squeezed his cock through his boxers, closing his eyes. "I want you to hear it. I want you to be... doing that too, with me."

"You could go out in the water."

"Mmm. But you'll be here tomorrow, and didn't we say that we were going to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get in the water," she said. "Together."

"I think we did," Ned agreed.

"So I guess waiting until tomorrow will just make it even better."

Ned chuckled. "Oh, it _will_ be good. You can count on that."

\--

Nancy had been in the Hamptons for a week. Her body was reminding her of every second of it, every second she had spent away from her husband. The circumstances were just making it worse.

Emily Terner had invited Nancy, Bess, and George to the Hamptons to serve as bridesmaids in her wedding. Nancy had been able to come early to help with coordinating, but Bess and George hadn't made it in until Wednesday. In the meantime, Nancy had been hanging out with Emily and her circle of friends, and among them, the day began with mimosas, lunch was served with martinis, and the drinking began in earnest at five o'clock. Bess and George had fallen right in with it, and Nancy wasn't sure how many hours in the last week she'd been perfectly, entirely sober. What was worse was that drinking, especially when she got a buzz, just made her think about Ned, and how she just wanted to fucking jump him as soon as his flight arrived.

And the wedding too, seeing Emily in her gorgeous white dress, checking the flowers, keeping the ring. She couldn't help thinking about her own wedding, and what had happened after.

Nancy was waiting impatiently at the baggage carousel when Ned finally came down the escalator. She fought the urge to climb up and elbow everyone else out of the way to get to him, and instead stood with her hands decorously folded behind her back, in a short denim skirt and a pale blue polo. Ned wore busted jeans and Chucks, and a tight grey undershirt with a button-down. Nancy felt her core temperature kick up at least five degrees when he grinned at her.

She had to wait for a pair of giggling teenagers to get out of her way, and then Nancy launched herself into his arms, burying her face against his neck. "I missed you so much," she murmured into his skin.

Ned squeezed her hard, boosting her so their hips were lined up. "I missed you too, babe," he said huskily, and that and the delicious familiar scent of his cologne and aftershave and just the feel of him in her arms made her shiver with joy.

"I hope you didn't check anything," she said when he put her down.

"Got it all right here," he said, gesturing at his rolling suitcase. "We in a hurry?"

"Always," she said, taking his hand. "It's the rehearsal dinner tonight."

Their hands joined again once they were in the car, Nancy in the driver's seat. They talked about the ceremony, set for Saturday afternoon, and their sleeping arrangements. Nancy was staying in what had basically become the party house. A big group of Emily's unattached friends were staying there, and every night, Nancy told Ned, was remarkably like the weekends at Omega Chi. Just with slightly less sports.

Nancy cursed as she approached a slowdown on the highway. " _Damn it._ "

"Nan, it's okay," Ned said soothingly. "We'll get there. Besides, you've been a bridesmaid how many times? I think as long as you're not staggering drunk, you'll do fine."

"That sounded like a dare," she told him, with a wicked smile. The smile faded as they slowed to a total stop. "God, I wish your plane hadn't been delayed."

"Trying to leave Chicago on a Friday afternoon? We're lucky I'm here _now._ "

She stabbed impatiently through the local radio stations, gesturing loudly at the other drivers, before Ned reached down and unfastened his seat belt. Then he leaned over the seat.

"Ned! Put your belt back on!"

"In a minute," he said. He kissed the side of her neck and Nancy's lashes fluttered down for a second. Then she felt his fingertips against her bare thighs.

" _Ned_."

"Yeah," he murmured into her skin. "Keep going. Tell me what a bad boy I'm being."

"You _are_ ," she told him, her voice rising into a moan at the end. His hand was sliding up under her skirt, and then his fingertips found their way between the elastic of her panties and her skin. "This isn't safe."

"Tell me to stop," he growled against her skin, and she arched, her nipples tightening, as his fingertips brushed the slit of her sex.

"Baby, we—" She sucked in a hard breath, stomping unnecessarily firmly on the brake as the car in front of her slowed. "Someone will see us—"

"There's nothing to _see_ ," he pointed out.

Nancy chuckled, shifting her hips, parting her legs to give him better access. "Yeah, no one's gonna notice _this_ —"

She panted, pressing the heel of her hand against the steering wheel, as Ned slipped two fingers up inside her and pressed his thumb against her clit. She shuddered and when the car behind her honked, she forced her eyes open long enough to drive the twelve feet that had opened up. Ned gently bit her neck, teasing her with gentle strokes of his fingers.

"So wet, baby," he growled. "You would feel so fucking good right now."

Nancy's shoulders jerked back as she moaned. "Oh my _God_ , Ned."

"Think about all the times you almost did this yourself," he murmured. "When you were so hot for me— _yeah_ ," he sighed as she clenched around his fingers. He kissed her collarbone, bit her nipple gently through her shirt and bra, and she trembled. She jerked to thrust her hips and Ned slipped a third finger inside her, thrusting hard, and she cried out. Her cheeks were flushed, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"Let me come," she begged him, sobbing in pleasure when he rubbed her clit even harder. "Feels so good, oh my _God_ , make me come—"

Ned glanced up and saw that the passenger in the next car was staring over at them, a shocked look on her face. Ned flipped her off.

Nancy, for her part, was distracted enough that she didn't notice. Keeping the car from hitting anything else during rush-hour traffic was a frustrating prospect, even under the best circumstances. Another car swooped into her lane, cutting her off, and she drove the heel of her hand into the horn while her hips ground and bucked against Ned's fingers.

She came with a delighted cry, when Ned's fingers were almost numb, and jerked a little when he delicately pulled his hand out of her panties. He scrubbed his fingers clean with a crumpled napkin he found in the cupholder.

"Just a little something to tide you over," he said, as she seated her hips more firmly in the seat, her face still warm as she panted her breath back.

"So that was just an appetizer."

Ned chuckled. "Yep."

"I can't wait for dessert."

\--

The rehearsal went without a hitch, and then the group went out for the rehearsal dinner. While Ned desperately wanted to grab his wife and lead her by the hand to a broom closet, a bathroom stall, _something, anything_ , he didn't want to draw her away from the group. She looked so animated, lively and bright-eyed and happy.

He just watched her, when he wasn't making pleasant conversation, trading quips and in-jokes born of years of familiarity with Bess and George. Emily gave out attendant gifts, little starfish charms with her married initials on the back.

After the dinner, Ned accompanied Nancy back to the house. They made it back before anyone else, and Nancy grabbed him by the tie he had put on for the dinner, pulling him down to her. She tasted like wine, was giggly with it, and he had just backed her into the living room wall, their mouths pressed hard together, when they heard a car door slam outside.

Ned pulled back and Nancy's blue-eyed gaze met his, her brows knit with dismay. "Shall we continue this upstairs?"

The corner of her mouth turned up. "Sure. For a little while."

"What do you mean, _little while_? I haven't seen you in over a week—"

She led him upstairs, then gestured to the two beds. He saw her suitcases near one; the other was a tangle of sheets and dresses and cosmetics. "Sharing a room," she explained.

They tried to be quiet, somewhat sneaky—and Nancy was always prone to overestimate her abilities when she had been drinking, especially when it came to covert activity—but in the end they gave up. The girl sleeping in the other bed got up every fifteen minutes, so even if Ned had been able to coerce Nancy into having sex while other people were in the room, that would have quashed it.

The next morning was just as frustrating. Girls in various states of undress were all clamoring for bathroom time and plowing into rooms unannounced. Nancy headed over to the yacht club to help with last-minute arrangements before everyone met for brunch.

Ned had forgotten all the minutiae involved in a wedding. When he thought back to his and Nancy's wedding day, he generally remembered seeing her at the end of the aisle, beaming at him, and then their first dance together, cutting the cake. And then, after. Her short white gown and their shivering nervous anticipation, and God, he had not known how amazing it would be, to make love to her that first time, to make love to her every time. To know that she was his and his alone, that no one else had known her this way.

"Late night too, huh?"

Ned gave his head a brief shake. "Sorry," he said, smiling at Emily, whose otherwise playful green eyes were a little shadowed by the fun she had had the night before. "You excited?"

"Oh, definitely," she said with a grin. "Been a long time since you've been out here."

"Work," Ned shrugged. "You know how it is."

She nodded. "I'm just glad everyone was able to come out for this," she said, tipping her face back. "Soon it'll be like a reunion for that summer all over again." She laughed.

Ned smiled politely and Emily moved on, but Ned felt a hard fist tighten in his stomach.

Nancy was his. Since their wedding day, since their engagement, Ned had never doubted it. He didn't doubt it now.

That didn't mean he liked seeing any other man looking at her. Especially after Eric.

Ned knew he was being ridiculously possessive, but when Sasha and Marina breezed in, grinning at all the delighted greetings, Ned was sure to find his wife, to take her hand in his. When Sasha began to glance around the room, Ned knew who he was looking for. His handsome face was lit by a genuine smile when he saw Nancy.

The crowd seemed to part through unspoken agreement between Sasha and Nancy, and Ned hated that feeling, hated remembering the way he had felt that summer when he had come out to join Nancy and found himself in the middle of something she had tried to downplay as meaningless, when it had been clear to everyone, including him, that she and Sasha were _involved_.

"It has been a long time," Sasha said, and he had eyes for no one else. She offered her hand and he kissed it, and it took every bit of Ned's self-control not to sucker punch him into next week.

"It has," Nancy agreed, and after a beat she glanced over at her husband. "I'm sure you remember Ned."

"Yes! He saved my life." Sasha shook Ned's hand, and as soon as he released it, Ned took Nancy's again. She shot him a bemused glance.

"Ned's my husband," she said, as though to head off imminent manhood comparison.

"Congratulations," Sasha said, glancing between the two of them. "I'm very happy for you."

Nancy dipped her head. "So have you been keeping busy?"

Ned didn't hear any of the ensuing conversation, really, save the polite responses Nancy made, or at least the ones that were audible over his heartbeat. The impulse to grab her, to reclaim her, as insistently and possessively as possible, was singing in his blood.

But there was no opportunity. She went to the yacht club to get ready with the other bridesmaids, and Ned wasn't even an usher, wouldn't even be able to shoot meaningful glances at her across the aisle.

The ceremony was lovely and mercifully short, especially since Emily had elected to hold her wedding on what felt like one of the hottest days of the year. Nancy looked gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress, the pale chiffon standing out against her deepened tan. Ned kept reminding himself that he should be paying attention to Emily, but hearing the vows, watching the ring exchange, was just reminding him of his own wife.

He touched his own ring idly as he gazed at her.

_I promise to love you, to cherish you, with my every breath and every heartbeat, because with you I am the best version of myself. I want you to wake up every morning safe in the knowledge that you are loved and adored, and I will spend the rest of my life thanking God that I decided to stop and help out at a house fire that day._

Nancy was gazing back at him, as Emily said her vows, as Emily swore to cherish and love. Nancy was touching her ring, too.

The reception was quiet—at first, anyway. The parents of the bride and groom, the grandparents, and the guests around Nancy's father's age were all very composed and decorous over their glasses of champagne. Then the couple cut the cake and the bar opened up and the rounds of shots began. The DJ moved from mostly classics to more contemporary music, and Nancy joined Bess and George for a fast exuberant dance, then came to Ned for a slower one.

Ned was at the bar getting another drink when Sasha approached Nancy. Instead of rushing across the room to intercept, he just waited for the bartender to come back with his scotch and water, secure in the knowledge that even if Sasha did attempt to throw Nancy over his shoulder and carry her out of the room, Ned would be able to tackle him before he made it four feet. Granted, they would probably crash in a huge pile into someone who was a good candidate for hip replacement, but Ned was willing to take that chance.

Sasha asked Nancy something. She glanced over at Ned, who interpreted the faint movement of her eyebrows and shrugged. Sasha could have a single dance. Ned had the knowledge that his wife would be screaming his name before the sun came up.

He silently tipped his glass in Sasha's direction. Sasha may have barely made it through a battle, but Ned had thoroughly defeated him in the war.

\--

"This song has always made me think of you."

Nancy gazed up at Sasha. His arms were warm around her, and being so close to him did bring back the memory of what she had once felt for him. It was only a memory, though. Now she just felt a vague sort of fondness for him, and a hope that he wasn't about to make a fool out of himself.

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "I did not hear it until after that summer, but it made me think of you in that red dress. Your beautiful eyes." His blue-eyed gaze was so intent on her, and he took one hand from her waist to brush his fingertips against her cheek. "Many times I told myself that I gave up on what we had too easily."

Nancy dropped her gaze. Even if Ned wasn't looking at her, she could sense his presence, and a part of her was outraged on his behalf. She was equally glad that he wasn't within earshot.

"Sasha," she murmured.

He crooked a finger under her chin and lifted it, and without conscious thought she immediately moved back a little, away from that touch. "I am making you uncomfortable," he murmured.

She nodded. "You and Marina?"

"Good friends." He gave her a slightly mournful smile and she returned it. "I keep waiting to have that feeling again, but I do not think any other girl will ever capture me the way you did."

"Oh, Sasha." She refrained from touching his finely chiseled cheek, kept her hands light on his back. "You will. You'll find someone who loves you the way I never could. Someone who makes you feel the way I feel for him." She nodded in Ned's direction.

He didn't answer, only smiled.

For a moment she thought of it. Their summer together had been heady, exotic, and he had been incredibly glamorous, a creature all his own. She had been intoxicated by how different he was from anyone else she had ever met, and she was sure that feeling had been mutual. Only one other relationship in her life had been so dangerously thrilling—and that, she let herself think of even less than that time she had shared with Sasha.

But that curiosity she had felt for Sasha, that new, sharp desire, had been so bright that she had known it would never really last through an ordinary week. She had been afraid of the intensity of what she felt for Ned, afraid that she would never be able to pull herself from his orbit, afraid that being with him meant being tied down in a way she refused to contemplate. He had always felt like _home_ , had always felt _right_ to her. A part of her had always been convinced that she wasn't meant for long-term, for this kind of life, that her love for him would be a liability.

A part of her, now, was terrified of the prospect of losing Ned. The rest of her knew she never would, that for as long as he drew breath he was hers. She could do anything, knowing that. She could take on anything, knowing he was there to support her. Things between them weren't always perfect, but losing him would be like losing half of herself. Other men might have turned her head every once in a while, but Ned had always had her heart.

Sasha suddenly took her hand, pulled it aloft, and led her into a twirl. She giggled, pleased, the color high in her cheeks, and glanced over at Ned to see if he had seen it.

"It was real," he said softly, as the song faded into the next.

She released his hand, and looked up into his eyes for a moment. "You're amazing, Sasha," she told him. "All it will take is the right girl seeing it."

Fingertips brushed hers, and before she even turned her head, she knew who she would see beside her. "Sorry," Ned said. "I can only go without her for so long. Can I steal you away, honey?"

Nancy took Ned's hand, glancing back at Sasha. He nodded, his gaze lingering on Nancy a second longer, and then he turned toward Emily, who welcomed him with moderately drunk exuberance.

Ned looked down at Nancy after he took her into his arms. "You okay? If he put any moves on you—"

She smiled and trailed her fingertips down the back of his neck. "It's flattering, really," she said, and looked at her husband's adam's apple. "To be the one who got away."

Ned pulled her closer. "I'd lose my mind, if that's what you were to me," he said softly.

She nodded. "Remember what we said?" she whispered. "With you I'm the best version of myself. I can't imagine who I'd be without you."

\--

Emily was getting ready to toss the bouquet. Then would come the sendoff and the farewell, the winding down, probably taxis crammed with half-lit wedding guests on their way to bars in town to keep the buzz going.

The eligible girls were gathering, eyes bright, ready to spring, when Ned took his wife's hand. She glanced at him questioningly, but followed him easily when he led her outside.

The beach was blue and black in the moonlight, full of the constant crash of the waves. The squeals and cries of the girls fighting over the bouquet reached them, but just barely, and they struggled over the dunes, toward the water. Nancy paused to slip out of her heels and then they started again, reaching the edge of the dry sand.

Ned released her hand and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Nancy's mouth dropped open. "Anyone from the party comes out here and we're toast."

Ned raised an eyebrow, pulling the tails of his shirt out of his pants. "Chicken, Drew?"

She made a face at him. "No," she said. She dropped her heels onto the sand, then crossed her arms over her chest.

Ned took off his undershirt and he was naked to the waist. "I'm sorry, remember when we fucked in a parking lot basically? When you were _sober_?"

She shifted her weight. "Yeah."

He tossed his shirts onto the sand, safely away from the tide, and unfastened his pants. "Don't tell me you don't want this."

She glanced back at the reception. "In the parking lot at least we could hide behind stuff."

"Well, I could take this slower," he said, and unzipped his pants very, very slowly. "Make _sure_ somebody sees us. Or you could take your clothes off and get in the water, and then no one's gonna see us. And I guarantee that I'll be naked before you are."

The ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Get your ass over here," she told him.

He had tossed all his clothes into the pile when he came over to her, and she tossed her purse over and slipped her arms around his neck, drawing his face down to hers for a kiss, the chiffon of her dress blowing against his bare skin. Oh, the low mournful sound of the breeze off the sea, the sweet kiss of the dark and how gorgeous she looked in moonlight.

He remembered thinking that he'd lost her, while he wasn't looking, to a fucking Russian ballet dancer, of all things. Remembered the way he had seen her looking at Sasha that summer, and how awful that had felt.

He had known from the first time they'd met that she would break his heart. He had known, and he still hadn't been able to walk away. Not forever.

He had come out here and stared at the water, knowing that he'd do what made her happy. Even if it meant wrenching his own heart out, he would make her happy.

Now he pulled the zipper of her dress down and it fell in a cloud of chiffon, leaving her in her underwear. Her tongue slipped against his as he unfastened her bra, pushed her panties down. He put her clothes with his to keep them from getting too sandy, then scooped her up in his arms and ran with her, into the water, both of them naked. She squealed when the water hit her, and Ned wondered idly if any of the guests were at the window, seeing them as a distant pair of tiny figures, splashing in the waves. If one of them was Sasha.

He found, to his faint surprise, that he didn't care. He could afford to be magnanimous. She was his. The pain of losing her was worse than any jealousy he alone could inspire.

When the water was up to his waist Nancy squirmed out of his arms, then swam out with sure, powerful strokes. Ned followed, and when he caught up with her, his toes weren't brushing bottom.

Nancy brushed her wet hair out of her face and shot him a grin, as she bobbed with the waves. "So what's the plan?"

He came close to her, slipping his arms around her, and when he kissed her she ran her fingertips through his wet hair. She started to hook her leg around his waist.

"Mmm," he said in warning, pushing her leg back down. "Keep them together."

"Mmm?" She tilted her head.

"I want you dripping wet for me."

She nodded, reaching for him, and with a sigh their mouths came together again. Her lips tasted like the sea and her breasts were pressed to his chest, her nipples tight. He made a soft noise against her mouth and she rocked her hips against his, rubbing against his cock.

She pulled herself up and Ned nipped at her, his teeth glancing at the point of her jaw, the line of her neck. She gently raked her nails over his scalp and he shivered against her, as she sucked his earlobe into her mouth, panting into his skin.

He grabbed her hip, squeezing her as she rocked against him, then looped his other arm around her and slipped between her thighs from behind. He cupped his fingers between her legs and she whimpered, moving against him more urgently.

"God, baby. Are you ready?"

"I've been ready," she told him, her eyes gleaming. "I've been ready for over a _week_ now."

Ned chuckled. "So yesterday—"

"Was nice, but," she ducked in, placing her lips against his ear, "I want you to _fuck_ me, I want you to come inside me."

He groaned, and when she shifted one of his fingers slipped between her legs and he couldn't stop her, didn't want to stop her, when she wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed, bruisingly hard, fighting to keep their heads above water as the waves rose, and _God_ , he wanted to be inside her. He squeezed her breast and she angled her hips against his with a soft sharp cry.

He broke the kiss and had to blink several times to remember. "We can't do this in the water," he said. "Race you back to the beach."

"So we can reenact _From Here to Eternity_?"

"Something like that," he said with a chuckle.

\--

Nancy strode onto the packed wet sand, naked as the day she was born save her wedding ring. She wrapped her arms around her wet belly, her hair streaming, watching her husband stride easily against the pull of the tide.

When he reached her he took her hand, then paused and reached for their clothes. She raised an eyebrow at him, but followed as he led her away from the water. He paused at the base of a dune and she saw the look on his face when he caught her gazing back at the reception.

"You want to go back?"

He had put their clothes down and had picked up a large bath towel, and she reached for him, gently squeezing his erection. "I'd rather some joggers stumble upon us in the morning."

Ned chuckled. "I know I'm not gonna last that long."

He spread the towel over the sand, and when he turned to her she slipped her arms up around his neck, pressing herself hard against him. "I love you," she told him. "I love you so much. When did you have time for this?"

"When you were off helping today," he said. He brushed the tip of his nose against hers. "I would've bought some candles, but that seemed a little over the top."

She pressed on his shoulders, pulling him down to her, and kissed him softly, making a noise deep in her throat when their kiss became hungry, when his palm drifted down her back to brush over her ass. While they were in the shadow of the dune, she was still aware they could be seen—and the thought made her a little hot. Her nipples were tight and hard, pressed against him.

He slipped his arms around her and sank to his knees, laying her down on the towel, and she pulled him down to her, knees up and legs parted, the cradle of her hips open to him. He propped himself up on his elbows and she clung to him, wrapped her legs around him, and he kissed her again, roughly, as the hard heat of his sex rubbed against her flushed inner lips. She rocked under him, seeking contact, whimpering.

He pulled back. "What did I tell you?" he growled. "Dripping wet, baby."

He rolled onto his side, off her, then bent over her, latching onto one nipple as his fingertips teased their way down her chest. She moaned, shivering as he suckled against the tight point of her breast, as his touch trailed maddeningly light over the mound of her sex. "Ned," she begged, "please, _please_ , oh my God baby I want you _so much_."

He tipped his head back to gaze at her, drawing his finger up the slit between her legs until he brushed her clit, and she sucked in a hard breath. "You owe me," he whispered, as he fondled her clit in quickening strokes. "I have been hard for you for _over a day_ now, and then—I see _him_ , the way he looks at you—"

She had to force her eyes open as her husband thrust two fingers roughly up into the slick press of her sex, and it was all she could do, to remember to breathe. "Yes," she burbled, her knees falling fully open to him, "oh my God yes it's always been you, you're the only one, baby, I love you, so so much, _please_ , please, you feel _so good_ —"

He leaned over her, filling her sight, breathing her breath as she arched and writhed under him. "Tell me," he demanded, and she hooked her leg around him, trying to force him back against her, panting. "Say it, no one else, _no one_ —"

He slipped his fingers out of her and she cried out in frustration, digging her nails into his back. "No one else," she panted, "there has never been anyone else for me, never, no one else, not like you." She closed her eyes, straining against him as he plunged his fingers between her thighs again. "Mine, you're mine and I'm _yours, baby, oh my God_ —"

She bucked against him as he knelt between her spread thighs, pressing against her, and she squirmed against the bulge of his sex, crying out as he rubbed against her clit. The contact left him slippery-wet and he rocked against her, ruthless, without entering her. She reached down to angle him, to position him just inside her, but he pinned her hands over her head.

She could breathe their word and he would stop.

Instead she wrapped her legs around his waist again and moved in counterpoint, flushed, her cries rising until they were above hearing. She tried to hold out but her belly was tight with need, and God, he knew her so well, and she couldn't wait. She came, writhing against the prison of his hands, circling her hips to rub against his, and he released her only when she collapsed, spent and boneless, to the towel.

She screamed, arching so hard that the crown of her head brushed the towel, as he swiftly entered her, driving himself immediately hilt-deep inside her. Her orgasm was still giving her aftershocks when he thrust again, again, and she rose, sobbing, grasping at him. She was so fucking sensitive and _God_ , she had wanted him so much, _so much_ —

"Yes, _yes_ ," she cried out, instinctually meeting his thrusts. "So good, I wanted this _so much_ , oh my God baby you are the only one who could ever make me come—"

He grunted, his gaze dark with desire. "That's right, baby."

"You feel so good," she moaned, squealing when he pinched her nipple, her inner flesh clenching against him in response. "Makes me wet just thinking about how good you feel inside me."

He shifted the angle of his hips, driving her hard against the packed sand, and she writhed at the sheer pleasure of it, of feeling him so deep inside her. He flicked his thumbnail against her clit and she rose with a pain-edged cry, a pair of tears slipping down her cheeks. "Come," she begged him, trembling, "come, _fuck_ , oh my _God_ —"

The pressure in her was fucking unbearable and he still managed to stroke her clit hard a few times, and she, nothing was conscious anymore, everything was just _him_ and the feel of him inside her, stroking her, filling her. She arched and shuddered, jerked hard, and his mouth crushed down against hers and her legs fell loose and her eyes rolled back, the pleasure terrible and _unbelievable_ as she came again, hard, her husband trembling and collapsing to her as he followed.

When she came to herself she was spread-eagled under him and he was boneless, pinning her helplessly to the towel. She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling against his chest.

He sighed. "I have been _waiting_ for that," he whispered. "Oh my _God._ "

"Mmm," she agreed, her eyes closed. "Baby, you know you're the only one. Forever. No one else could ever make me feel the way you do."

"Same here," he said, and kissed her forehead. "You feel _amazing_."

She chuckled. "You too," she whispered, running her fingertips down his cheek, his jaw.

He slipped out of her, then shifted onto his side so his entire weight wasn't pressing her down. She kept her arm looped around him, and snuggled against his chest.

"We do," he murmured, leaning down to brush his lips lightly against hers, "have to go sometime."

Nancy groaned, tightening her grip on him. "I don't want to," she sighed. "I _hate_ sleeping next to you when I can't just start feeling you up."

"Welllll," he drew out, "I kind of think you can."

"We're not sleeping out here," she told him. "I was joking about that. I don't want to wake up with _literal_ crabs. And I am _not_ having sex with you while there's someone else in the room. Well, at least not someone who's that light a sleeper."

Ned raised his eyebrows at that, then rubbed the tip of his nose against hers again. "No, it's just that I booked us a room—"

Nancy's eyes snapped open, and she began to push herself up. "What the hell are we waiting for?" she demanded.

"Oh, I don't know. The return of muscle control? Just the sheer romance of doing it on a moonlit beach?"

She nodded. "That was great, too," she said, kissing him lightly. "Fucking _amazing._ But my ass is already going to be bruised as shit tomorrow, and we have a week of fucking to catch up on."

Ned chuckled as he sat up. "My delicate flower of a wife," he teased her. "You always know just what to say."

She slipped her bra on, casting a dirty glance at him. "Keep going, Nickerson," she mock-warned him. "You're doing _great_."

"Oh, like you aren't going to be riding me as soon as we walk into that room."

She reached for her panties. "Only if you didn't manage to sneak any of our toys into your carry-on."

"You just have to settle for me tonight, hon."

She snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "So I only get what I've been dreaming about, creaming myself thinking about for the past week. Damn. You better bring your A game, babe."

Ned reached for his underwear. "I'll have you _screaming_ for it, baby," he promised. " _Again._ "

Nancy's eyes gleamed wickedly. "Good."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter by killingstreak.

Nancy smiled as she looked up from her computer screen and took a sip of water. She had just booked one of the last few seats left on the flight back to Chicago four hours later.

Four hours.

Which meant that she still had time to do a little shopping first, seeing that her luggage was all set.

-

Nancy had almost walked past a boutique when one of the dresses on display caught her eye. It was a lovely shade of red, with a high neckline and a tightly fitted skirt topped off with a skinny shiny black patent leather belt. 

She pushed open the door and one of those silly door chimes rang, and the sales assistant looked up.

“Hello,” she smiled, and Nancy smiled back.

Even though she had entered the shop because of the dress, Nancy found herself gravitating towards the blouses. The store had a lovely display of chiffon and silk blouses and she couldn't help but take a few off the rack for a closer look. 

“Those are our latest designs,” the salesgirl said, smiling brightly. “It's really popular.”

“Do you have another color in that dress on the mannequin?” Nancy inquired before giving the girl a smile. “Red isn't exactly a color I'd wear to work.”

“We have it in black as well, would you like to give it a try? Although I'd say that shade of red will _really_ look good with your skin _and_ your hair.” 

“Sure.” Nancy shrugged. “Oh, these two as well.” She handed over the two blouses she was eyeing. _Might as well_ , she thought as she glanced around and chuckled to herself. Bess would bein _heaven_ here. 

“Your room's ready,” the salesgirl informed her, and Nancy thanked her as she stepped inside. Her full-length reflection stared back at her and Nancy studied her image. Her complexion was looking a little dull but then again, she _had_ been staying up for the past few days, frequenting nightclubs in search for clues. She undressed quickly, careful to keep her eyes away from her naked reflection and slipped on the dress, feeling the cool material slide over her skin. She sucked in her breath and tugged the zipper up and then stepped back, smoothing the material down over her thighs. 

It was tight but still comfortable and she suspected the material had some kind of spandex in it, seeing the way it clung to her every curve. The dress stopped just an inch below her knees and it looked _amazing_. She had never dared to attempt this length before; Bess had always been going on and on about how it made women look short and stumpy and she never really did think of trying it on for herself. 

She opened the door of her changing room so that she could back up a little and see herself from afar, and the salesgirl came scurrying over. 

“You look amazing,” she gushed. “You need a pair of heels, gimme a second...”

Nancy had just opened her mouth to protest when the salesgirl came back with a pair of dangerously-high heels.

“We do carry shoes as well,” she shrugged, and Nancy grinned as she slipped out of her flats and into the heels. 

She had to admit that the red didn't look half bad now. The sizing was perfect and it emphasized her waist, hid the boniness of her hips and the thickness of her thighs. 

She turned to her side and consciously ran her left hand down the flat plane of her tummy. While she seldom had time to work out, a strict diet and good genes had kept her in good shape. Her eye caught the sparkle of the diamond on her ring and her palm stopped over her belly button. One day, it would be swelling, round with the weight of a baby, their child. Even though they had agreed that having a baby now was completely off the table, Nancy couldn't help but fantasize at times. Ned would be an excellent father, she could already tell.

“Your ankles are so thin,” the salesgirl continued enviously, and Nancy looked down in surprise. She never really thought that much about ankles... Oh, she remembered the feel of Ned in her as he held her ankles apart, bracing himself as he slammed into her again and again. She felt herself throb a little in anticipation. Thank goodness her case had ended early. Ned certainly wasn't expecting her to be back until two days later. He had sweetly taken that day, a Monday, off work just to pick her up from the airport and in his words, 'spend the rest of the day with her.' Which really just meant fucking her brains out.

Now that she was back early, they would have three glorious, lazy days to themselves.

A small shiver ran down her spine. 

She looked at the blouse hanging on the hook and a wicked thought crossed her mind.

-

She just barely made it to the boarding gates in time, which was ironic really, since she would had been extremely early had it not been for her impromptu shopping trip.

Bess would be proud of her though. She had picked up that red dress, a white cotton summer dress—well, it was going to be summer soon enough—two white blouses, a new set of lingerie and a pencil skirt. A girl could never have enough pencil skirts, right? 

Besides, she had a plan.

-

When she touched down and walked towards the baggage carousel, a part of her still looked towards the arrival gate for any sign of Ned. She was being ridiculous because she knew for sure that he had no idea she was back.

She headed for the taxi line, and glanced at her watch. It was nearly seven and traffic was going to be horrendous. 

-

Once she was in the cab all settled comfortably, she called Ned. Her call was about to flip to his voicemail when Ned picked up, breathless.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Nancy said, smiling as she curled a loose strand of hair around her finger. “You sound breathless.”

“I am,” Ned confirmed. “Left my cell on the dresser and I had to run back up to get it. Great timing though, Nan.”

Nancy grinned. Talking to Ned always made her insanely happy.

“I miss you,” she murmured.

“I miss you too,” Ned replied, almost instantly, and she heard the sound of a car door slam.

“Going out for dinner?”

“Yeah,” Ned chuckled. “Don't want to burn the house down. Besides, there's nothing left in the fridge anymore.”

Nancy tutted. “Never heard of grocery shopping, babe?”

Ned laughed. “Anyway, I'm going out with the guys. It's Friday, babe. Going to have a drink or two somewhere.”

“At Mercer?” Nancy asked lightly as the cab shuddered to a stop again.

“Yeah,” Ned answered, a little surprised. “How did you know?”

“That's where you always go, Mr. _Predictable_ ,” she teased him, and he laughed.

“So come give me a surprise,” Ned teased back and her heart raced. Did he suspect anything?

“I can't, baby,” Nancy replied, trying to keep her voice light and apologetic. “I'm sorry. This case won't be finished for at least another day.”

Ned sighed. “I know. Just... Just come back asap, okay?” He lowered his voice. “I miss you, and my heart's not the only place.”

“ _Ned_.” She giggled, knowing full well what he meant. “Be good,” she admonished him, and she could almost see the puppy eyes he'd make if she was there.

“It's just me and the guys. How can I be anything other than good?” 

“Hmm, I don't know.” Nancy pretended to ponder for a moment. “Maybe you'd see a hot chick today and think of what fun she might be...”

Ned growled in her ear. “The only chick I want to see is _you,_ baby, and when I see you I'd...”

“Would what,” Nancy pressed, a small smile toying on her lips. She could hear male voices in the background and she knew that Ned was probably carpooling with his colleagues.

“Would fu– do such... such lovely, incredible, mind-blowing things that would have you spewing rainbows out of your mouth.”

Nancy laughed softly. “Sure that's what you want in my mouth?” she asked playfully and Ned made a soft noise over the phone.

“Don't push it, _Drew._ ”

“Nickerson,” she replied sweetly. “And I love you.”

“Love you too,” Ned murmured. “Promise me you'll be careful. I want you back in one piece.”

“In one piece,” she assured before dropping her voice. “And wet.”

“ _Nan_.” He groaned and she was enjoying his frustration thoroughly. 

“Have a good time tonight.”

“It's hard when you're not back home yet,” he complained, and Nancy chuckled. 

“I will be soon.”

“Not soon enough.”

“Patience, Nickerson.”

“You know I lack it in _that_ department,” he answered, his voice good-natured.

“Oh honey.” Nancy laughed and then she caught sight of the building she had asked to be taken to. “Look, I gotta go now, I'll call you... tomorrow?”

“When you wake up.”

“First thing in the morning,” Nancy promised.

-

“Good evening. How may I help you?”

“Hi, I've actually made a booking online already.”

“I'll need the credit card you used for the transaction,” the receptionist requested, and Nancy handed over her card. 

Ten minutes later, she had her luggage parked beside the door and she took in the hotel room she had just booked for the night. She had never stayed at this hotel before, in fact never _heard_ of it at all until Bess gushed to her one hot afternoon.

“The interior is honestly _beautiful,_ so quaint, and the view from the window is seriously gorgeous.”

“I'm not sure if there's any good views in Chicago, Bess,” Nancy had replied, laughing as her mind wandered to her case notes, open on her lap.

“Oh, c'mon Nan, you know what I mean.” 

“You exaggerate,” Nancy said lightly. “But if it's _that_ good, maybe I'd book a room one day and drag Ned there.”

“Like Ned needs to be dragged,” Bess remarked and Nancy laughed aloud.

“You're right. Maybe only in the morning.”

“Oh, they serve complimentary breakfast and it is to _die for_. Seriously. So you two, if you ever go up there, don't tire yourselves out and sleep through it,” Bess added meaningfully, and Nancy snorted water up her nose.

“Jeez, Bess.”

“Honestly, you two,” Bess said sourly. “Ned seriously can't keep his hands to himself when he's with you.”

Nancy chuckled. “I'll keep him in check,” she promised. “And I'll tell you after we pay it a visit.”

Right now, looking at the room, she shrugged as she kicked off her flats. It _was_ quaint and lovely, but honestly, she didn't really care how it looked. She doubted they'd be looking at the furniture while having sex later anyway. Although she must admit it was kind of a plus. The king-sized bed with its many pillows looked extremely inviting. 

She consulted her watch. Almost eight. Enough time for her to change, get ready and execute her plan.

-

When she changed into her clothes, she had to admit that she _felt_ good. She was wearing one of the blouses she had just bought, along with the pencil skirt. The blouse was made of semi-sheer chiffon and cut with a deep V, which she took full advantage of with her new lace push-up bra. Her cleavage was showing and her breasts looked bigger, and regardless of how many times Ned had said her size was _perfect_ , that he never wanted anything else, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious every single time someone with a bigger rack walked past them. She knew he was biologically programed to notice and she didn't really blame him for his occasional straying eyes, but it didn't make her feel any better.

She adjusted her top slightly, cuffing the sleeves up as if she had a long day at work. Her bra was a creamy shade of white, the satin lace straps delicate and showing through the thin fabric of her blouse. Ned had a soft spot for anything lace or satin.

She tugged her pencil skirt an inch higher till it was sitting comfortably at her waist. It was similarly cut as her dress, its hem ending just below her knee, the cloth hugging her ass tightly. She did have a perky little butt and she knew Ned loved it every time she wore something so clingy.

She went back to her suitcase and dug out a pair of stockings, only to decide that they wouldn't really work with her outfit. Her skirt was already long enough. Nancy looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She certainly did like what she was seeing, but that wasn't what she wanted to look like tonight.

Rummaging through her luggage, she pulled out a platinum blonde wig and the last pair of colored contacts in the box. She called it her camouflage because everyone knew her by her reddish-blonde hair; they would hardly recognize her as a blonde. Smiling, she remembered how Bess had once made her over to look like Brenda Carlton for a case, and she had almost fooled Ned. Well, he had seen her in black hair. He hadn't seen her as a blonde, though.

She arranged the wig to sit neatly on her hair, carefully pinning her hair up in a bun first to ensure that no stray strands would fly loose. Carefully she put her contact lenses in, blinking slightly as she tried to get used to the sensation. It was amazing, how a change in hair and eye color could transform a person so much. Taking up her makeup, she carefully went over her eyebrows and curled her lashes before sticking falsies on them. Her makeup skills had improved drastically due to the constant need to go undercover and George had commented that she was now almost on par with Bess. Almost, but not entirely. Bess was still the legend. 

She carefully gave herself a smoky eye and re-applied her lipstick. Shaking her hair out slightly, she slipped into her black heels and pronounced herself ready. Looking into the mirror, the skirt and the extra height her heels provided her made her legs look miles long. She made one last adjustment to her bra. She wasn't Nancy today. She was Ellie.

_Lisa._

She looked back at her reflection and her thoughts strayed to the last time she had pretended to be someone else. Or, at least, when Ned had pretended she was someone else.

At least the hotel room was different—everything was different now. She knew that Ned would never, _never_ be like that with anyone else. She trusted him one hundred percent.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she hitched her small purse onto her shoulder, switched off the lights and pushed the hotel room door open.

-

Ned took up his seat at the bar. He tagged along with the guys every few Fridays, when Nancy gave permission or when she herself was out. Some days he opted for a simple basketball game with Mike and then a beer or two; other days he found himself being persuaded to join in the usual trip to the bar a few streets down from their office.

“Scotch,” he requested, ordering his customary drink. Some days he would opt for something stronger but Nancy didn't like it when he drank too much, when she could smell the liquor in his breath, taste it too strongly on his tongue when he kissed her. Not when she was sober, anyway.

There was a dance floor and even though it was not even nine, it was starting to get packed. People were coming down after work, ready to dance the night away and take Saturday to recover. The guys ordered buffalo wings and other finger food and Ned shrugged. He had taken a really late lunch because of an extremely draggy meeting—his boss had provided refreshments so it wasn't like they starved—and he wasn't entirely hungry. He caught sight of a couple dancing on the dance floor and found himself missing Nancy. The guy was grinding against the girl and Ned had the sudden vision of doing that to Nancy countless times, her palms pressed against his back, her breath in pants against his neck. God, he missed her. 

The other guys got up to dance and Ned found himself alone at the table, save for Andrew. Ned didn't really have much to say to him, even less when he thought of all the times Andrew had unwittingly interrupted his plans to get heavy with Nancy. 

He idly turned his wedding ring around his finger and looked up to catch Andrew looking.

“Why aren't you out there?” Ned asked, jerking his thumb in the direction of the dance floor.

“Just... It's nice to be married, isn't it?” Andrew asked. Ned glanced at him in surprise. He never in a million years expected Andrew to ask a question like that.

“Yeah.” Ned shot him a grin as he downed his shot, then fiddled with his ring again. “Nancy's amazing.”

“She looks amazing too,” Andrew said without thinking, and then looked up, fearful of Ned's gaze. 

“I know,” Ned answered, smiling as he reached for another buffalo wing. Damn, he could swear he wasn't hungry before he took his first bite. “I got lucky.”

“Yeah, you did, pal, and you better treat her right,” Andrew told him. The other man's voice sounded odd.

Ned held his gaze. “I treat her damn fine,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “What makes you think I don't?”

Andrew looked away. “No, uh, it's just—you know.” He shrugged, flashing him a small smile. “I uh, I think I'm gonna go dance. You sure you don't want to join?”

Ned shook his head. “Nah. No point when my girl's not here.”

Andrew nodded and retreated in the direction of the dance floor. Ned followed him with his gaze. Andrew was acting a little strange. He didn't have a crush on Nancy, did he? Not that he could really blame him.

-

Ned was just following the game on the huge screen when he felt someone slide into the seat beside his. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell she was a blonde. She slapped her purse down onto the table top and signaled to the bartender. 

“Tequila sunrise, please.”

Her voice sounded like Nancy's, but Ned shook his head. He was just thinking too much, as usual. Sometimes he missed her so much, wanted to hear her voice so much that when he was on the phone with a new customer, she would sound so like Nancy that he had to restrain himself from asking if she was her. Maybe it was that and the liquor talking.

He casually glanced at her, and her side profile was pretty. In his head, he mentally ranked her at least a nine on his scale. Nancy was of course off the scale. It was impossible to rate someone like Nancy.

When the game reached half-time, he looked over again. She was gone, her purse gone with her, but her drink was finished and a fresh long island iced tea was waiting for her. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, but it was halftime anyway. He turned in his seat, trying to scan the crowded bar for her. She was just a pretty face and he could admire pretty girls the same way Nancy admired Johnny Depp. No, she _idolized_ him, he corrected himself mentally as he scowled. 

He saw her dancing near the edge of the floor. All around her were girls whose skirts barely covered their underwear; hers was positively demure in comparison, but he couldn't help but find it incredibly hot on her. The skirt was tight and her ass round and perky and he couldn't help but stare at it. When she turned, he noticed that her shirt gaped open too and offered a generous amount of cleavage. She was one hell of a hot chick. What the hell, was Nancy a prophet? He had gone all of seven days without her not meeting a single person who could catch his eye, and just after she hung up the phone with him, this _goddess_ appeared. Fine, goddess was a little too much of an exaggeration, but she was pretty and so incredibly sexy. 

She swayed to the beat, her tiny purse bumping against her hip, and Ned admired her from his seat. She looked almost carefree, the way her blonde strands of hair whipped her face. He found himself looking at her legs. They seemed to go on forever. Ned cast a quick glance at the television but the sports commentator just told him that the game hadn't resumed yet. He looked back at the dance floor and saw Richard chatting with _her_. They were standing just off the dance floor and he was saying something, gesturing something with his hands, and she was laughing, smiling up at him. A sudden irrational surge of jealousy bloomed in Ned's stomach and he tried to suppress it. This was crazy. He didn't even _know_ her. 

She laughed again and turned her head slightly and their eyes met. Damn, she was really, _really_ attractive. Richard touched her arm and her gaze jerked back to him and it dawned upon Ned why he was jealous. He was jealous because it could have been him. Jealous because he knew that he was much better-looking than Richard and by experience, if it was just between him and Richard, they both knew that the girl would pick him. And if he had been down at the dance floor, she would be talking to _him_ , and not to Richard.

He had been with Nancy for so long that he never really did care what other girls thought of him, but once in a while, especially when the alcohol kicked in, he wanted to feel wanted. _Attractive_. He needed to be secure in the knowledge that there were girls out there who looked at him and wished to be the one who was married to him. Somehow, being able to provoke that kind of desire made him feel like he could somehow keep Nancy by his side, make her feel as lucky to have him as he felt to have her.

Some nights he just needed to boost his ego a little, regain the masculinity which had seemed to dwindle during his domestic life. In the absence of a testosterone- and alcohol-soaked Omega Chi party, where he could barely crook his finger at any co-ed he wanted and see her come running, the bar would do.

Ned cast one last look at them and she looked up, her attention drawn by the sheer power of his gaze. Richard followed her gaze and when he saw Ned, Ned raised his glass and nodded. She said something to him and he hesitated for a split second before nodding. When Ned saw that she was walking back to the table, he immediately turned back around, his eyes back onto the screen. The game was playing again, which provided sufficient distraction for him, but he couldn't help being aware of her approach, his every nerve tensing with her imminent arrival. 

“Let me buy you a drink.” Ned recognized the voice as Richard's, and had to resist the urge to turn his head.

She murmured something he couldn't hear and then she was sliding back to her seat beside him. She lifted her drink and the condensation had left a big puddle on the table top. She took a small tentative sip of it and then smacked her lips in dismay as she placed it back onto the table. The ice had melted and diluted the drink considerably.

“Could you change the drink for the lady?” Richard asked, claiming the seat on her other side, and Ned couldn't help but want to roll his eyes a little. _Cliché._ Get her drunk and take her home. 

Richard got up. The music was getting loud, the bass pounding, and he took the opportunity to crouch behind her, his arms surrounding hers, as he placed his lips extremely close to her ear. Ned tensed and he didn't even know the reason why. He just felt protective of this girl, but she didn't jerk away or tense up—or she was just a good actress, _like Nancy_ —so maybe she was enjoying Richard's company. Who was he to think that a slightly balding middle-aged man couldn't be attractive to her?

Ned continued to stare at the screen, and the girl, no, woman, beside him was downing her drink quickly. 

“You don't want to drink that so fast. You'll get drunk in no time,” Ned commented idly, his attention still rapt on the screen. She was pretty but few things could draw his attention from a good game—namely, an emergency or Nancy standing naked in front of his screen. He had never experienced the former, but once Nancy had been talking to him about something important—the irony was that he could no longer remember what—and he had been so focused on his game, she had become so exasperated that she literally stripped down to her underwear and stood in front of him. If she had stood there fully-clothed, that would no doubt have started an argument, but she was standing half-naked in front of him and he had immediately stood up and carried her to their bedroom, the game be damned. 

“Thank you, but I can handle myself perfectly well,” she replied in an almost haughty tone, and Ned glanced over at her, bemused. 

“Ellie.” She smiled and she leaned forward slightly in her seat, her cleavage showing proudly. “And not one single damn blonde joke. I've heard them all.”

“Wasn't about to,” Ned replied defensively. “I'm Ned.”

“Nice to meet you.” She smiled as she turned back to her drink and Ned couldn't help but continue looking at her. She _did_ resemble Nancy. If Nancy wasn't out of the state at the moment...

“And no, I'm not Nancy Drew,” she said pointedly, just as Ned opened his mouth to speak. “I get that so many damn times.” She put on a falsetto. “'Are you Nancy Drew? Ms. Drew, Ms. Drew?'God, _no_.”

His lips quirked up. “I should know. She's my wife.”

She gaped at him and Ned had to chuckle. She was cute. “Wow. _Damn!_ That girl got lucky, huh. I know what Nancy Drew looks like but I didn't know her husband was such a stud.”

Ned broke into a huge grin, the alcohol making him feel weirdly happy. Nancy studied him carefully and she realized that she never really complimented Ned that way anymore, realized that he could in fact be insecure sometimes, no matter how many times she told him she loved him.

“Thanks,” he murmured. “Nancy's... Nancy's great too. You _really_ do look like her. She's prettier though, and just a little— _more_. Sorry.” Ned shrugged and Nancy suppressed a smile. Good old loyal Ned.

“So why are you sitting here alone?” she purred, smiling seductively as she attempted to lean toward him. “If I had someone as amazing as you, I wouldn't let him out of my sight. Leave him to the sharks.”

“So you're a shark?” Ned asked, one eyebrow raised, and Nancy wanted to just grab him and kiss him. God, she hadn't kissed him in what felt like _forever_.

“Depends on whether you take the bait,” Nancy murmured as she ran a finger down his arm. The condensation had left her skin cool, raising goosebumps on his skin.

“What about Richard?” Ned asked. “The guy you were talking to just now?”

She dismissed his question with a wave. “He's nice and all but he's got nothing on you.”

Ned smirked. Flattery felt good. 

“Want to dance?” Nancy asked, and she fluttered her lashes at him. “You have such strong arms,” she added, as she traced his biceps. “You must work out a lot.”

“Every now and then,” Ned replied modestly, hedging as she tried to pull him toward the dance floor.

“C'mon,” she pouted. “Just one dance, and then if you want, I swear I'll leave you alone.”

“I really shouldn't,” Ned replied, obviously torn.

She pitched her voice low. “Please? At least dance with me for a little while so I won't have to dance with that other guy the whole night.”

He laughed at that and took pity on her. “All right. But just one dance. And only as a favor.”

“Thank you,” she mock-bowed to him and when she stood up straight again, sweeping her hair back from her forehead, her eyes twinkling, he could swear she was Nancy. His gut was telling him she was Nancy, that she had somehow fooled him and come back early. His head was telling him that she was still in Idaho, completely unaware that he was dancing with another girl right now.

The music started again and she slipped her hands around him instantly, without missing a beat, and he hesitated for a moment before she felt his hand against her back, his touch extremely light. She wanted to laugh at the distance he had put between them and for a second, she wanted to see how he'd react if she danced a tango. Although there was no way she could manage it in this skirt.

They moved easily, to his surprise, like they had danced a million dances together. He had expected her to step on his toes or get caught in her skirt, but they moved together flawlessly, perfectly in sync. He spun her on the dance floor, and that was when he saw the high slit at the back of her skirt. Nancy had a skirt like that, although hers was much shorter. He tried to recall Nancy ever wearing anything of this length but couldn't. Perhaps when Nancy came back, he'd try to pitch the idea to her. She would definitely look fucking fantastic, he was sure. He spun her one more time and the slit was making him slightly aroused. He remembered the few times they had had sex while Nancy was still in her work clothes. The slit made it much easier. She'd just unhook the buckle and turn the skirt slightly, so that he could just flip the skirt up. 

Nancy took one look at his face she could read the thin veil of lust in his eyes. Her gaze dropped subtly to his crotch and she smirked a little when she saw that he was hard.

“Steady, cowboy,” she murmured, her breath warming his ear as her tongue darted out to lick his earlobe, as she slipped one hand down to cup his crotch. She felt him jerk slightly away, felt him shiver, and she distantly heard the song end and when the next song came up, _she_ froze. It was their song, the same song that had played during their first dance together, the song at their wedding, the song they had danced to a million times. She looked up at Ned's face and an expression she couldn't read crossed his face. He met her gaze and she felt him release her slightly and then she decided, fuck it, she was going to let Ned know who she was. Part of her knew that he suspected it. He had been with her long enough to know that she was capable of springing such a surprise on him. 

She was just about to open her mouth when he dipped her suddenly in his arms, and she cried out softly in surprise, her eyes wide. 

He pulled her back up and she had just opened her mouth to tell him off, to tell him to never do that again, when he crushed his mouth to hers, his hand tight against her back. His kiss was so damn deep, and then his tongue was forcing his way past her lips and she blushed when his hand cupped her ass and squeezed it.

She pulled back, panting hard, and they were just gazing at each other, their arms still around each other. Ned smiled first.

“Nan.”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “Ellie.”

She reached up and brought his face down for another kiss and this time his whole body was pressed against hers, his hands drifting down her back as they stayed motionless on the dance floor.

He broke the kiss and she looked up at him and grinned and oh yes, that was her smile, one hundred percent her smile.

“Come spend the night with me,” she said, a little breathless from their kiss, and he was still gazing at her mouth, her swollen lips, like a teenager again. 

She gave his hand a little tug and that was all he needed.

“I didn't drive,” he said, and she laughed. 

“I know. We're cabbing,” she called out to him over the music, and he couldn't resist the urge to pull her to him, to kiss her one more time, his arm curving around her waist. Her ass looked so amazingly good in that skirt, it was making him far more aroused than he'd like.

“Home?” he asked, and Nancy looked at him.

“Your place or my place?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I'd say a hotel room.” She shrugged. “Makes things much easier.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Andrew watching him. He made a mental note to casually mention to him the next time they spoke, that Nancy had came back home a little earlier than expected.

Nancy flagged a cab and they slid in, her hand almost immediately sliding to rest on his inner thigh. She rattled off the address of the hotel and Ned looked at her in surprise.

“Not home?” Ned asked, and Nancy batted her lashes coyly at him.

“Why mister, I wouldn't mind, but aren't you married?”

He looked at her, and he had drank a little too much. He was still mostly sober, but he was finding it harder to actually think. His brain felt like cotton fluff. 

He _knew_ she was Nancy, knew it from her smile, her laugh, her _body,_ but their conversation was just weird. 

He tried to recall their safe word but it kept slipping past him. Shaking his head, he said what he thought was it softly and Nancy, who had been busy fiddling with her earring, didn't catch it.

“Sorry?” 

Maybe he got it wrong after all. Maybe she really wasn't Nancy.

He shook his head but she noticed that he shifted his leg slightly, subtly scooting away.

“Hey,” she murmured, as her hand moved to touch his leg, arresting his movement. “Where you going?”

“Nan? Baby?” He asked again, and his voice was so soft, so tentative and she realized that perhaps he wasn't exactly thinking straight. Perhaps he had _really_ gotten confused.

The word suddenly appeared in his mind and he said it out loud, clearly, afraid that it'd slip his mind again as he looked at her.

“Oh baby,” Nancy said, as she reached up to her head to unfasten her wig. When her reddish-blond hair came tumbling down her shoulders, Ned heaved a sigh of relief. He would remember that shade of red for as long as he lived. 

“It's okay,” Nancy said softly as she stroked his cheek. “You didn't like it?”

Ned cupped her cheek. “I just wasn't sure.” He made a vague gesture. “I'm not really thinking straight right now...”

She tutted. “Too much to drink again, baby,” she murmured as she kissed his cheek, and Ned swung her onto his lap. The cabbie glanced at them in his rearview mirror. 

“I missed you,” he whispered as he nuzzled against her neck, breathing in her scent, hugging her tightly.

“Missed you too,” she told him, and the cabbie pulled up at the hotel with a cleared throat and a cough. 

Once they were out of the cab, he reached for her hand and she smiled brilliantly at him. 

“So you booked us a room, huh.”

She shrugged. “Thought you'd like it. Change of environment, sexier, all that crap.”

“Baby, any place with you is sexy,” he whispered into her ear, taking care to nibble her earlobe until she was squirming, trying to push him away.

The hotel receptionist was looking at them with open curiosity but he couldn't care less.

-

When they were in the elevator, Ned had her pinned against the wall as he kissed her over and over again, his hand running through her hair, running down her ass. “Baby,” he groaned as she fondled him through his pants and when she finally got their room's door open, Ned already had her skirt unzipped, her shirt tails pulled out of her skirt.

He picked her up and she squealed slightly when he shouldered the door closed. Then he was pinning her against the door, one hand supporting her, unzipping his pants with the other.

“Pull up your skirt,” he said gruffly and Nancy obeyed, the fabric bunched up at her stomach. Ned looked down at her extremely thin satin thong, his eyes alight.

“Don't,” she began to warn him, but it was too late and he ripped it off, the fabric fluttering to the floor.

“Ned,” she groaned, but he stopped her mid-way when he pressed his lips to hers, and then she felt him butt against her entrance, felt him slip in, heard him groan.

“Baby,” he whispered and Nancy closed her eyes as she felt him stretch her inner flesh, filling her entirely. It felt _so_ good, after so long, and she tried to rock down onto him, groaning with frustration when she couldn't find leverage. 

He made a noise of equal frustration when he couldn't find the angle and then his arms were wrapped round her securely as he carried her over to the writing desk. 

She was pushing all his buttons, letting him play out a longstanding fantasy. A gorgeous girl chatting him up at a bar, letting him take her home and fuck her sore. 

He turned her around roughly as she tottered on her heels, bending her over.

Fuck. He had always had fantasies of fucking a secretary at work—not Ann though, that would be creepy—but, more precisely, of fucking Nancy in a secretary outfit, bending her over his desk. 

He stepped back and took a moment to admire her ass before he spanked her and she jumped a little. He spanked her again and her butt cheeks turned pink before he roughly pushed himself in again, and she moaned loudly.

He pulled out for another thrust and Nancy braced herself on her palms as his every thrust shook the table. 

“Fuck,” he cursed, and Nancy felt him rub against her clit. “Fuck babe, you feel too damn good, I can't, I can't—” He pumped into her a few more times and then he pulled out and she whimpered. 

“So fucking hot,” he whispered harshly. “Get back on the table.” She climbed back up and he spanked her ass again, one hand pumping his cock furiously.

Her legs fell open as he pulled back for another thrust, one hand on her hip, the other running down her breasts.

“Open up your shirt baby,” Ned pleaded and Nancy swallowed as she unbuttoned the top few buttons and pulled her shirt above her head. Ned stopped moving to bury his face between her carefully plumped breasts and she reached behind her to unhook her bra, tossing it in the general direction of the bed. He sucked the soft skin there, his tongue swirling round her nipple.

She shifted, restless under him, moaning and he was about to break as he started pounding into her again, his strokes short and hard as her cries got louder.

“ _God_ ,” he choked out. “Baby, I can't, I'm gonna come, _babe_ —”

Ned pulled out and the next thing she knew, he was shooting his load all over her breasts, his hand stroking his cock.

“The fuck?” Nancy asked in shock as she pushed herself up. “Ned...” She cast him a withering glare and to his credit, Ned looked extremely embarrassed. 

“I'm sorry,” he apologized, finding tissues to clean himself off her.

“It's sticky,” she complained, and Ned apologized again. She waved him off as she kicked off her heels and walked to the mini fridge. She opened the fridge door and took out the complimentary bottled water. “Water?”

At his nod, she threw the bottle at him. He caught it surprisingly easily and she raised an eyebrow. 

“Not completely gone yet, huh, Nickerson.”

Ned downed half the bottle of water before speaking. “One sec.” He raised his finger and disappeared into the bathroom as Nancy laid down on the comforter, running her hands over the fabric, making a face when she felt the traces of his cum drying on her breasts.

When Ned emerged from the bathroom, his hair was wet and he was scrubbing at his face vigorously with a towel, his chest bare.

“Did you like just submerge your head into the sink?” Nancy asked, attempting to keep a straight face as Ned walked towards her.

“Need to sober up a little,” he shrugged as he sat down beside her.

She reached out to touch his face and their gazes held as her fingers grazed his cheek.

“Sober now?” she whispered, and Ned took her hand and kissed her fingers slowly, one by one.

“Yeah,” Ned replied as he slowly leaned down, until he was crouching over her, and their lips was just a whisper apart. She lifted her head to meet his lips and then they were rolling over and she was resting on his chest, her breasts pressed against him.

She pulled back and Ned ran his hand through her hair, smiling up at her.

“I'm sorry about earlier. I just... I don't know what got into me.”

“It was your secretary fantasy, wasn't it? Together with cumming all over her boobs.”

Ned ducked his head. “Yeah.”

“So I looked like a secretary?”

“A fucking hot secretary,” Ned corrected her as he kissed her again.

“Oh, that sweet tongue of yours,” Nancy teased as she rolled off him. “Need to get this makeup off.” 

“My tongue has many uses,” Ned called after her, intentionally misunderstanding her.

When she came back, her teeth freshly brushed, contacts out, and face scrubbed clean of makeup, Ned was sitting on the bed, his arms outstretched. She climbed back up and he wrapped his arms around her immediately.

“I like you so much better as a redhead with blue eyes,” Ned commented teasingly and Nancy scowled, sticking out her tongue at him.

“Not so much a blonde or brunette?”

“Nah,” Ned replied as he touched noses with her. “Got a thing for redheads.”

Nancy pulled back, pretending to be offended, and Ned laughed as he pinned her easily to the bed, her arms above her head. 

“Got a thing for redheads called Nancy Drew,” Ned clarified.

“There's got to be another redhead out there called Nancy Drew as well.” 

“For _the_ Nancy Drew who's in my bed now.” Ned rolled his eyes and Nancy laughed, swatting at him with her loose hand.

“Oh stop it, you.” 

He sat back up, his legs doubled under him, and just gazed at her, propped up against the pillows.

“You are so beautiful... You know that?”

“From the way you're looking at me, yes.” Nancy smiled as she tried to use her feet to stroke his thigh.

“I think I owe you something.” Ned murmured as he tugged her down onto the bed, and she laughed as her legs splayed open.

“For coming so fast just now?” she asked, one eyebrow arched, and Ned scowled.

“I couldn't help it,” he defended himself, and Nancy chuckled. 

“That's one hell of a compliment.”

“Uh huh,” Ned replied, his voice muffled as he went down on her and she moaned loudly, her legs spread wide open as her hands cupped the back of his head. At the first flick of his tongue against her clit, she cried out, and when he suckled against the tight sensitive nub of wet flesh, she arched, her hips bucking.

“Fuck,” she groaned, as she moved restlessly against the sheets, as she pinched her own nipples. Ned slowly pushed one finger inside her and she nearly arched off the bed, the sensation pure bliss as he fingered her faster and faster, his tongue darting and pressing against her clit, the pressure immense. 

He added another finger and she cried out, her hips bucking against him, as she tried to pull him closer to her, get him to suck deeper, press harder, and when he felt the first suck of her flesh against his fingers, he pulled out and she protested, her brow knitted. Then he was pumping himself with his fingers slick with her juice and her hips circled in anticipation as she felt her insides throb. 

He rubbed the length of his cock against her slit and she groaned in frustration each time the head was agonizingly close to her entrance. She tried to reach down and push it in but Ned caught her hands in time and pinned them above her head.

“Slow, baby,” Ned murmured, as he continued to rub himself against her, until he was so slick and wet and glistening with her juices.

“God, Ned, _please_ ,” she begged and she was at the very edge, could feel the desperation building in her belly. “Please, please, please,” she chanted, and she groaned when Ned teased her again. “Just fucking _stick it in_ ,” she spat out and Ned chuckled at the desperation in her voice.

He pushed into her in one swift thrust, filling her completely, buried to the hilt and she started to come at the sensation. Her insides spasmed and she started to shake as she felt her climax build. Ned grunted as he thrust into her, pressing deeper into her, and she groaned at the sensation.

“Ned,” she moaned, writhing under him, and he started moving against her. He took her ankles and held them apart as he fucked her fast and hard until she was screaming his name, her world becoming just the two of them.

He moved slightly in her and Nancy jerked, her nerves still sensitive, and when Ned pulled out, she sighed, content. He pushed back in and her shoulders jerked, her mouth falling open as her nerves screamed, her flesh burning, and then he was shifting her hips, getting her to twist her hips slightly to the side. He closed her legs and fuck, he felt _enormous_ like this and she moaned as he thrust harder and harder, his cock pistoning in and out of her.

“You feel so tight baby, so fucking tight,” Ned growled and Nancy whimpered as he pulled back out for another vicious, hard thrust. “So fucking good.”

“Please,” she whimpered and Ned slammed into her harder in reply. Her hand snaked down as she parted her legs slightly, and he felt her shiver as she touched her own clit. She fondled herself as Ned pumped into her and god, she missed this, missed having him close to her.

“I want you,” she moaned and Ned pushed himself up and her legs fell open as he crouched over her, his body curving to fit hers naturally as she wrapped her legs round his waist, her arms holding him tight.

“Like this?” He panted and she nodded, angling her hips so that he could sink deeper. 

“Fuck yes,” she groaned, and then he was pumping into her so deep and so fast, she couldn't think of anything other than just rocking her hips, pushing up whenever he thrust down, as she felt her climax build up again.

“Please,” she groaned, her eyes screwed shut. Ned's breaths came in pants as he moved faster over her.

“Come,” he begged and Nancy nodded, her hips crashing up to meet his, her legs moving desperately.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she cried out when he brought her to her peak, when the waves crashed over her as Ned groaned aloud and buried himself fully inside her before letting himself come.

“Oh god, fuck,” Ned groaned once he was able to talk again and Nancy nodded as he rolled off her, disappearing into the bathroom for tissues.

“Shower?” Ned asked after they had cleaned up.

“In the morning,” Nancy said tiredly as she disappeared under the covers, still naked. Oh, he liked it when she slept naked.

He joined her in bed and immediately his hand was stroking the skin at her hip.

“I missed you.”

Her lips quirked up in a small smile. “I know.”

His hand slowly moved up her side and he trailed his fingertips down her breast lightly. “You... you're okay, right?” he asked hesitantly as he gazed at her.

When she gave him a little nod and a half-smile, he nuzzled against her neck, his fingertips brushing against the side of her breast. “You know I practically worship them.”

She made a face as she pushed him away. “At least you didn't do it on my face.”

Ned shook his head hard. “I would never. That's just... I don't know. Degrading.” 

Nancy smirked. “And cumming in my mouth is an entirely different thing.”

“Yeah,” Ned answered earnestly and Nancy had to shake her head.

“What do I do with you,” she asked softly as she crooked a finger under his neck and lifted his chin up.

“I have no idea,” Ned answered, equally softly, before he moved in to kiss her. Her eyes fluttered shut as he wrapped his arms around her.

Ned broke the kiss and they were so close, their foreheads touching.

“I missed this,” Nancy whispered as she toyed with his hair at the nape of his neck.

“Having sex?” Ned asked, a gleam in his eye.

Nancy narrowed her eyes and moved back, swatting at him. “That's all you think about.”

“I'm a guy,” Ned protested. “And you were gone for so long.”

His hand crept down to the v between her thighs and she stiffened when she felt him press one finger against her. “Besides, I happen to know that someone was begging for it just now,” he murmured, smirking a little. 

“Oh shut up,” Nancy retorted, blushing a little as she clamped her legs shut. Ned made a soft noise of protest.

“So how was your trip?” Ned asked as he attempted for a truce and Nancy smiled.

“The usual.”

“Define usual.”

She stuck out her tongue at him. “You know. Bad guys, hot guys, sexy guys...”

Ned growled as he dragged her hips closer to him and she let out a soft peal of laughter.

“And I went shopping.”

He perked up at that. “What did you get?”

She laughed. “You know, not many guys would be as excited as you.”

“You don't shop very often,” Ned pointed out.

“Got a dress, some blouses, a skirt – but you've seen that already—”

“New underwear?” he asked hopefully and Nancy swatted at him.

“Yeah, right. You just ripped my last satin thong apart.”

Ned snapped his fingers in mock disappointment. “You've got to stop thinking you can keep thongs. The whole point of them is for me to rip them off you.”

Nancy rolled her eyes as she snuggled up at him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” Ned replied as he hugged her. 

They had been silent for quite some time when Ned sighed.

“What,” Nancy mumbled as she hooked her leg over his knee. 

“So this is it, I guess.”

“What do you mean?” Nancy asked, slightly more awake.

“This... this game we're playing. It's been more ten rounds already.”

“Oh?” Nancy pulled back to look at him. “You've been counting?”

“You haven't?” Ned asked, his turn to be surprised.

“Not really,” Nancy admitted. “But we can still continue if you want. I mean, it's really fun, so... why not?”

A huge grin crossed his face. “You mean, for real? Like I get to write how and where I'd like to fuck you _again_?”

Nancy flipped him off as Ned grabbed her and pulled her closer to him, just enjoying the softness of her flesh. 

“I can't wait,” Ned said, and Nancy made a non-committal sound.

“How many more interesting scenarios can you possibly come up with, Nickerson?” Nancy asked as she stifled a yawn.

“Plenty,” Ned answered, his face lighting up with a wicked grin. “I could start with that leg over my thigh right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Cycle 3 will be starting soon. :)


End file.
